Community Corner
Minnesota Zoo Tiger Cubs Make Public Debut
Naming contest continues via zoo's Facebook page.
Editor’s Note: The following is a press release from the Minnesota Zoo.
The Minnesota Zoo has announced that its two Amur tiger cubs went exhibit for the first time on Tuesday.
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The first cub was born at the Minnesota Zoo on June 17. The second cub, born at the St. Louis Zoo on July 1, came to Minnesota on July 19. The cubs, both female, were brought together to ensure the best socialization – both were hand-reared because their mothers did not successfully nurse them. Now, nearly off bottles and growing strong, the cubs are ready to go on exhibit for part of the day in the Tiger Lair along the zoo’s Northern Trail.
The pair has become quite the sensation over the past few months, as viewers from around the globe have been watching them grow up via the Zoo’s live Tiger Cam (no longer available now that the cubs are going on exhibit), and discussing them via Facebook and Twitter. The zoo is also conducting a tiger naming contest through Facebook (facebook.com/mnzoo).
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Amur tigers, managed by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Tiger Species Survival Plan (SSP), have been part of the Minnesota Zoo’s Northern Trail since the Zoo opened in 1978. The Minnesota Zoo’s Director of Conservation, Dr. Tara Harris, coordinates the Tiger SSP and its new Tiger Conservation Campaign, aimed at raising awareness about the plight of wild tigers and funding for their conservation. Nearly $50,000 has been raised to date for wild tiger conservation efforts. To learn more about and contribute to these efforts, visit mnzoo.org/tigerssp/campaign and facebook.com/tigercampaign.
Said Harris, “We’re excited for the public to get to know these tiger cubs and learn more about their wild counterparts. We hope to inspire people to care and to help secure a future for this highly-endangered species.”
The Minnesota Zoo is one of 14 coalition members that comprise the Amur Leopard and Tiger Alliance (altaconservation.org). These coalition members pool their resources to help support conservation efforts for wild Amur tigers and leopards. Since 2007, the Minnesota Zoo, in cooperation with other North American zoos, has helped raise nearly $100,000 for these efforts.
