Malaysian Tigers arrive
29/09/2015
Two years of planning with the help of colleagues in Germany, the Czech Republic and Malaysia has culminated today in the arrival of a pair of Malaysian Tigers at Hamerton Zoo Park. 'Cicip' the male is six years old and female 'Sahaja' just two. Keen eyed visitors might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of them this autumn and winter whilst they are housed in our new tiger house and mainly off-show holding enclosures.
Work has started on a 2500 square meter outdoor paddock, which weather permitting we hope will be completed for the start of the 2016 season.
This new enclosure is scheduled to be opened at Easter 2016, and more news will be posted on the web-site, our e-letters and our Facebook and Twitter pages.
The Malaysian Tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni) was only described by scientists for the first time in 2004, and there are thought to only be a couple of hundred individual animals left in the wild.
The new pair at Hamerton are the first and only ones to ever be seen in the UK, and only a handful of zoos in Europe currently keep this rare cat. We are very fortunate to be able to take such an important part in the direct conservation of such special animals, and are honoured to be chosen to take part in this programme.
Hamerton Zoo Park now has six tigers, three males and three females, of the following sub-species - Malaysian, Bengal and 'white' Bengal.
You will often hear claims about conservation of endangered species. At Hamerton, despite our modest means, we don't just talk about it - but our team of dedicated staff gets on with the job.
This means that whenever you visit you will always see something new, and something very special..!