Tigers go the distance for love
Thursday 18 October 2012
New Sumatran tigers arrive at ZSL London Zoo
© ZSL
They say that love knows no bounds and that’s certainly been the case for ZSL London Zoo’s two new tigers – who have travelled more than 14,000 miles to meet after some serious matchmaking efforts.
Flown around the world to their new home by international logistics company DHL, keepers have high hopes for Jae Jae and Melati who will play an important role in the breeding programme for critically endangered Sumatran tigers.
Arriving at ZSL London Zoo this Sunday, male Jae Jae, four, from Akron Zoo in Ohio, USA, has yet to meet female Melati, also four, from Perth Zoo , Australia, after the pair were matched by the Sumatran tiger studbook – a global breeding programme coordinated by conservationists at ZSL London Zoo.
Jae Jae the male Sumatran tiger gets familiar with his new territory
To help mimic the tigers’ natural behaviours where a male approaches a female’s turf, Melati arrived at ZSL London Zoo first so that she could mark her territory ahead of Jae Jae’s arrival.
ZSL London Zoo’s curator of mammals, Malcolm Fitzpatrick said: “We’re all really excited by the arrival of Jae Jae and Melati at ZSL London Zoo and they’re both settling in really well.
Jae Jae the male Sumatran tiger
“It’s no simple feat moving tigers around the world, and we enlisted the help of DHL to deliver our precious cargo for us – not only were Jae Jae and Melati treated like royalty, DHL completely rescheduled their flight plan to get them here on time.”
Each accompanied by a zookeeper from ZSL London Zoo, the tigers demanded very little for such high-profile fliers; their hand luggage consisted of just two gallons of water, and their in-flight meal was a tasty snack of 10lbs of meat.
Jae Jae the male Sumatran tiger
Keepers at ZSL London Zoo will spend the next few weeks settling Jae Jae and Melati into their new surroundings, before they become the first residents of ZSL London Zoo’s brand new Tiger Territory when it opens in spring 2013.
Why have these two tigers come to ZSL London Zoo?
ZSL London Zoo coordinates the global breeding programme for Sumatran tigers, which uses a system called the studbook to match animals.
These two tigers, Melati from Perth Zoo and Jae Jae from Akron Zoo, were highlighted as being the best breeding pair of tigers to bring together for the brand new Tiger Territory exhibit at ZSL London Zoo. Hopefully it won't be long until the pitter patter of tiny paws...
What is a studbook?
Each species in a breeding programme is managed by a studbook. Studbooks work much like an online dating programmes for animals!
The studbook holder is responsible for pairing well-matched animals and recording details such as birth place and parentage to ensure a healthy and genetically-diverse population of animals in the breeding programme.
