Chessington bids farewell to rare Sumatran tiger

Chessington bids farewell to rare Sumatran tiger

4:00pm Friday 9th October 2009
By Louise Robertson

A rare tiger cub, born at Chessington World of Adventures last year, bid farewell to its parents as it was sent on its travels on Thursday, October 8.

Kabus the Sumatran tiger cub, one of five cubs born to Ratna and Batu in the past two years, was sent over to Belfast Zoo by ferry, and did not need sedation after entering his transportation enclosure with gentle encouragement.

The adorable 20-month-old cub will receive female company next year, when a tiger from Valencia Zoo joins him.

Jon Merrington, senior carnivore keeper at Chessington, said: “Breeding the Sumatran tigers is a great achievement for the team, as there are only an estimated 500 left in the wild. We are very pleased that Kabus will go on to sustain the breeding programme.”

Belfast Zoo manager Mark Challis said the tiger’s arrival was great news and would provide a good opportunity for reproduction under the European breeding programme in the future.

Chessington Zoo scooped the Significant Contribution to Conservation Breeding title at the Biaza awards in 2008, for the successful breeding of the critically endangered Sumatran tiger.

http://www.elmbridgeguardian.co.uk/news/4674112.Chessington_bids_farewell_to_rare_Sumatran_tiger/

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