Boris and Svetlaya—the two amorous Amur tigers in question—come from similar circumstances. Both were orphaned at a young age in the Sikhote-Alin mountains, where most of the massive cats also known as Siberian tigers live.

In Russia’s far east, a young Siberian tiger named Boris was given a second chance at life. Raised in captivity, he was part of a bold experiment to reintroduce these majestic creatures to their historic range.

Two Siberian tigers, Boris and Svetlaya, reunited after being released separately into the wild. Vast distances could not keep them apart.

Boris and Svetlaya were raised together as orphaned cubs, and then reintroduced to the wild separately. But Boris went on a trek that surprised researchers.