Rare cat poached into near extinction
POACHING has led to many animals becoming extinct, and includes a rare breed of Siberian tigers, Kudus Rus manager Ben Van Staden said.
The predator park in Boshoek, near Rustenburg in North West, was unfortunate to experience two lion poachings in 2018, he said.
“It was a huge blow to the park when it happened,” he told journalists on a media tour around Moses Kotane local municipality.
The tour is aimed at promoting tourism and tourist attractions within the municipality.
Kudus Rus has about 30 lions, eight tigers and a cross-breed. They have a breeder’s permit that allows them to practice. There is a mixed tiger that is part Siberian and part Bengal, named Crystal.
“She is 3-years-old and is enclosed with a 6-year-old year male. We are trying to get them to breed but it is not easy,” he said.
Crystal is a white tiger, she got her name from her clear crystal eyes. The tiger was brought to the park about 18 months ago from another predator park.
As a Bengal mixed breed, she can reproduce with any tiger.
She is enclosed with a Siberian tiger, and the pair is expected to produce Siberian tigers.
Van Staden said there were about 2000 Siberian tigers left in the wild, Samaritan tigers were also decreasing, while there is still a good population of Bengal tigers in India.
The park hopes to increase its cat family by getting a panther, an Asian leopard, a puma and a cheetah.