Beshai Palangon (Бешаи Палангон) Reserve is in Tajikistan close to the Afghan border where the Vakhsh River and the Panj River join to form the Amu Darya. The reserve stretches over 40 km from the southwest to the northeast.The area was one of the last strongholds of the Caspian tiger, whose tracks were seen in the reserve for the last time in 1953. As of today, Tigrovaya Balka is still home to the original main prey of the tiger, the rare Bactrian deer. Other larger species of the reserve include striped hyenas, golden jackals, swamp cats, wild boars, goitered gazelles, porcupines, the introduced nutrias,[3] gray wolves, red foxes and in hills also urials.