New tiger area at AquaZoo open to visitors from this weekend

The new tiger area at AquaZoo opens to visitors this weekend. The zoo's newest two residents in Leeuwarden, two Amur tigers, arrived last week and immediately took up residence in the just-completed, more than five thousand square meter enclosure.

These animals are found in the Amur basin, one of the longest rivers in the world, and are good swimmers: for example, they can cross a stretch of water 8 kilometers wide. Jeroen Loomeijer, general manager of AquaZoo: "It therefore fits perfectly with the possibilities we have to offer in our park."

Endangered
Amur tigers are endangered: there are only a few hundred animals left in the wild. The biggest threat is humans. They are widely hunted by poachers for traditional Asian medicine, among other things. In addition, forest fires and logging are reducing their habitat. In the last hundred years, as much as 93 percent of their habitat has disappeared.

To preserve the species, European zoos have established a management program. The arrival of the tigers at AquaZoo is part of this. "There was a demand for an additional location to accommodate tigers. We very much wanted to contribute to the conservation of this species, so we seized this opportunity," Loomeijer says.

Wildlife Conversation Society
AquaZoo also helps support tigers in the wild. In fact, the zoo helps the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) through Stichting Wildlife. Among other things, this society is committed to the Amur tigers.

WCS, for example, has set up a program to combat poaching in officially protected areas. For example, they track down poachers and are talking to one of the largest logging companies about closing roads built to transport timber. This is because these roads go right through the habitat of this species, making it easier for poachers to enter areas. Nine of these logging roads have already been closed.

River Amur
Two pools of water have been drained in front of the zoo's eastern enclosure. In this spot where carp, sea lions and crucian pelicans used to swim, caves, mounds, a watercourse and climbing trees have now been added. Many of the elements of the enclosure are also found in the Amur area. For example, the conifers are also found in the natural habitat of these tigers and the rocks resemble the stones found there.

"A large part of the enclosure consists of water. So they can seek cooling in the watercourse, but they can also play and romp here" informs William Kreijkes, head of animal care. "There are also many hills to be found in the enclosure, on which they can lie down." In addition, there are two shelters where they can retreat and take shelter from bad weather.

Education
There are seven different education points around the enclosure, some of which are interactive. This allows visitors to learn more about, for example, typical characteristics of the Amur tiger and its habitat, their role in the ecosystem, as well as threats in nature and what they themselves can do to improve the situation in the wild.

Female Aïda comes from Safaripark Beekse Bergen and male Vadim comes from Sosto Zoo in Hungary. Two large tiger enclosures were built so that each tiger initially has its own habitat. "Tigers are solitary animals and so we are giving them all the time they need to get used to their new environment and each other," Kreijkes says, "but if it goes well, in a while we can easily connect these enclosures and they can roam here together." Kreijkes also hopes to welcome cubs in a while. "But that will take some time," he expects.

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