HARBIN, Nov. 14 -- A tiger that allegedly roamed into China after being set free by Russian President Vladimir Putin was spotted near the border and may return home, according to the latest investigation.

"Kuzya," the first of two Siberian tigers released by Putin to enter Chinese territory, was detected Monday several hundred meters away from the Sino-Russian border river in the Taipinggou nature reserve, according to a GPS tracking device on the tiger.

Earlier reports said that the tiger was moving southward and may spend the winter in China.

Experts concluded after analyzing GPS data that Kuzya was walking along the bank of the Heilongjiang River this week, possibly seeking a chance to return to Russia. The big cat swam across the border river from Russia to China in October.

However, expanding drift ice on the surface of the river has hampered Kuzya's return in recent days.

Kuzya was one of three Siberian tigers released by Putin in May.

Fewer than 500 Siberian tigers remain in the wild, mainly in eastern Russia, northeast China and northern parts of the Korean Peninsula. China puts its own number of wild Siberian tigers between 18 and 22, mostly living in the border areas.