A rare Siberian tiger released into the wild by Russian President Vladimir Putin has attacked a henhouse in north-eastern China, raising concerns that farmers may hunt it down.

China's official Xinhua News Agency says the animal known as Kuzya was believed to have eaten five chickens in a raid on a farm in Heilongjiang province's Luobei county over recent days.

Xinhua did not say how Kuzya was identified as the culprit, although she had been fitted with a tracking device that earlier alerted Russian experts to her crossing the border into China.

The 19-month-old cub was one of three Siberian tigers released by Mr Putin in a remote part of the Amur region in May.

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