MOSCOW, October 5 (RAPSI) – Russian police launched an investigation into poaching of a very rare animal – Siberian tiger, RIA Novosti reported on Monday.

Police have already arrested a man who has allegedly brought a Siberian tiger pelt into the Far Eastern town of Nakhodka where he has tried to sell it. A man claims that he found the pelt in 2006 and decided to sell it this year. According to scientific expertise, the tiger in question, about two years old, was violently killed in 2015.

Siberian tigers are some of the rarest predators on Earth and are on the verge of extinction. This species is extensively protected by Russian authorities: hunting of these rare animals is banned completely. Criminals responsible for killing Siberian tigers may be sentenced up to three years in prison and may be fined up to one million rubles ($15,000).