Another tiger mauled to death after gate is left open at safari park
AN ENDANGERED Siberian tiger died in a fight with two others at Longleat Safari Park after a gate separating their pens was mistakenly left open.
Shouri, a 13yearold female, suffered fatal injuries when she was attacked after entering the neighbouring enclosure where a mating pair, Red and Yana, were being kept.
The safari park, in the grounds of Longleat House in Wiltshire, was not open to the public at the time of the tragedy on Monday. A spokesman said Shouri’s ‘loss was hard to take’ and that zookeepers had been left ‘extremely distraught’. An investigation has been launched to establish how the gate between the paddocks was left open.
Shouri’s death occurred just days after Melati, a Sumatran tiger, was killed by male Asim at London Zoo after they were introduced in the hope they would breed.
Shouri arrived at Longleat in 2006, while Red, a male from Norway, and Yana, a female from Sweden – who were the same Siberian breed – arrived last year. They share an enclosure with two older female tigers who do not mix with the group Shouri lived with.
In a statement, Longleat Safari Park said: ‘During the process of moving the tigers between the various outdoor paddocks, a door connecting two areas was opened which meant Shouri was able to gain access to the same outdoor area as Red and Yana. As a result, a fight ensued between the three.
‘The Safari Park was not open to the public at the time of the incident and both Red and Yana were not injured. A full investigation is ongoing to determine the exact circumstances surrounding this terribly sad event.’
The endangered Siberian breed, also known as Amur, is the largest type of big cat in the world and can grow to up to 11ft (3.5m) in length, weigh more than 700lb (317kg) and reach speeds of 50mph.
They have been driven to the brink of extinction by poachers and there are now just 540 remaining in the wild.
Dr Chris Draper, from wildlife charity Born Free, said: ‘Tigers are highly territorial and the sudden appearance of another tiger in the enclosure would inevitably lead to aggression.’
The park spokesman added: ‘The tigers at Longleat play a hugely important role in the longterm conservation of the species. Although Shouri was not part of a breeding programme, she was still an incredibly important ambassador for her species and part of the global mission to raise awareness for this amazing animal.
‘Her loss is very hard to take and she will be missed by all the staff here.’
On Friday at London Zoo, tenyearold female Melati was mauled to death by sevenyearold male Asim when keepers allowed the pair to meet for the first time. They had been in adjoining enclosures for weeks so they could get to know each other, but despite positive signs, the meeting quickly ‘escalated into a more aggressive interaction,’ a zoo spokesman said.