Nelson Mail

‘Perfect mate’ kills tiger

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A potential courtship ended in tragedy on Saturday at the London Zoo, where staff say a female Sumatran tiger was killed by a male they once hoped would be her ‘‘perfect mate.’’ The zoo detailed the harrowing turn of events in a statement posted to their website. They said the male tiger, Asim, arrived at the zoo 10 days before as part of a breeding programme and was placed in a separate enclosure next to the female, Melati. This granted them time to smell, see and react to one another. Big-cat introducti­ons can be perilous, even with diligent preparatio­n, the zoo said. Zookeepers opened the barrier separating their enclosures, optimistic they would begin the breeding process after showing ‘‘obvious’’ positive signs. The two animals were wary of each other at first – a normal developmen­t, according to the zoo. When they began to interact, however, the cats’ caution turned into aggression. Keepers were able to restrain Asim, but Melati died from the attack.

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