HARBIN, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- Chinese forestry officials are working to locate a tiger that has allegedly roamed into China after being released by Russian President Vladimir Putin into the wild.

The Siberian tiger, also known as the Amur tiger, was observed at the Taipinggou nature reserve in Luobei County in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Chen Zhigang, director of the nature reserve told Xinhua on Thursday.

"A Russian expert called to tell us the location of the tiger and expressed the hope that we can protect it," Chen said, adding that the big cat, tagged with a tracking device, is near the Sino-Russian border river, Heilongjiang River.

Chen said they have dispatched personnel to set up more than 60 cameras in the hope of capturing its image and remove traps that may exist. Forestry police officers were required to notify local farmers about the tiger's presence.

He said food should not be a problem for the tiger since the 20,000-hectare nature reserve features rich diversity of wildlife. "But if necessary, we can release cattle into the region to feed it." ' Russian media reported that the tiger, named Kuzya, was among three rare Siberian tigers set free by Putin in May. The tracking device showed the young tiger crossed the border into China from Russia's Jewish Autonomous Region.