‘Santa Paws’ comes early for the Highlands’ Amur tigers

18/12/2015 in Highland Wildlife Park

The Amur tigers will get an early Christmas treat from their keepers at RZSS Highland Wildlife Park on Friday 18 December 2015.

The feisty pair will get festive when keepers place giant papier-mâché balls painted like Christmas puddings into their enclosure. Marty and Dominika will be released to pounce and play with the puddings, which will be placed throughout the large enclosure that they share.

The tiger-friendly puddings, hand-made and painted by their keepers, will provide the pair with enrichment as part of an ongoing programme which, along with the natural enrichment of their enclosure, helps to provide them with new challenges and keep them mentally and physically in purrrfect condition.

Vickie Larkin, Carnivore Head Keeper at RZSS Highland Wildlife Park, said:

“We are sure the tigers are going to love getting their claws into their giant papier-mâché puddings. We wanted to give them a special Christmas treat because they are very active and they will really enjoy destroying their puddings, and rolling and chasing them around the enclosure.”

Amur tigers are the largest member of the cat family. They are listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, with approximately 350-450 individuals left in the wild. The population once dwindled to as low as 50 and they are still threatened due to habitat loss and poaching for their skins and other body parts for the traditional medicine trade.

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