Rare tiger cub makes surprise arrival at zoo
A RARE species of tiger cub has been born at a North Yorkshire zoo – an arrival that has been dubbed a ‘miracle birth’.
There are only around 300 Sumatran tigers in the world so the arrival of a cub to Flamingo Land’s breeding pair, Bawa and Surya, is a very special event in any circumstances. However, just a month ago the team at the leisure resort near Malton believed the mother had miscarried. Zoo manager Ross Snipp told
The Yorkshire Post: “Although it is early days for our tiger cub it looks to be very strong and we are very hopeful that this continues.
“Around a month ago our zoo and vet team believe that she had miscarried so we were all amazed to find the little cub with its parents on Friday evening.
“We would not normally make this announcement so early but we are so proud of our work in this particular field that we wanted to give as many children as possible the chance to see him or her before the schools go back.”
At the moment the sex of the cub remains unknown and it is with its mother in a secure tiger den at the theme park. The cub has been produced by the same breeding pair which produced triplets at Flamingo Land three years ago. They went off to other collections and earlier this year one of those cubs also became a father. The Sumatran Tiger is the smallest surviving tiger species and classed as a critically endangered species due to threats of poaching and the loss of natural habitat such as evergreen forests, freshwater swamp forests and peat swamps.
Watch a video of the newborn tiger atwww. yorkshire post. co.uk.
The survival of Sumatran Tigers is one of our key mission. Gordon Gibb, owner of the Flamingo Land resort in North Yorkshire.
THE UNEXPECTED arrival of a tiger cub at Flamingo Land is the culmination of seven years of hard work by the North Yorkshire resort’s animal carers in their attempts to protect the critically endangered species.
Vets at the Flamingo Land resort near Malton in North Yorkshire believed the mother had miscarried a month ago but the Sumatran cub was born on Friday night. The sex of the cub is still unknown.
The parents are the same breeding pair, Bawa and Surya, which three years ago produced triplets which have now gone on to other collections to start their own families.
Kuasa, the male, has become a father himself after he was moved to Zoo de la Boissière du Doré’ close to Nantes in Western France as part of the European Endangered Species Programme.
He now has a Sumatran tigress daughter, born in January. Her mother is Suma from Tiergarten Heidelberg.
A spokesperson for Flamingo Land said of the Nantes arrival: “Finding out that Kuasa has grown from a tiny cub to an adult and now a father is incredible.
“Knowing that he and his sisters will play a part in the conservation of Sumatran tigers is incredibly rewarding and helps to reinforce the vital role of zoos.
“This highlights the importance of breeding populations within zoos.
“With enclosures designed to fit the tigers’ needs, dietary requirements and care it might give this hugely popular species a future.”
Gordon Gibb, the owner of Flamingo Land added: “Conservation is our passion and the survival of the Sumatran Tigers is one of our key missions.
“Together with our achievements in the field through our Udzungwa Forest Project in Tanzania, we are at the forefront of international strategic conservation.
“We are extremely proud of our efforts.”
The European breeding programme, of which Flamingo Land is part, is vital for the survival for this species as there are fewer than 350 Sumatran tigers still alive in the wild across the world.
Ninety-seven per cent of the tigers’ former range has now gone and there is only a small fragment left. The animals are poached for their fur, skins and body parts which are used for display or traditional medicines.