New tiger cubs have arrived at Howletts
A couple of special new arrivals are on show at
Howletts Wild Animal Park this half term.
Five-month-old Siberian tiger cubs Kazimir and Arina have been
hand-raised from birth by the park’s Ben Warren.
Ben said: “These cute cubs had a hard start in life as their mum
left them alone. We made the decision to hand-raise them so that
they would get the nutrition and care that they needed.
“This involved hand-feeding them both at two hourly intervals,
constant supervision and regular medical checks by the vet team at
the wild animal park. It’s great to see them doing well – they’ve
both got huge characters.”
The boisterous brother and sister responded well to the care of
their human parents, however Arina began to walk with a limp.
Animal director Neil Spooner said: “As the cubs became
stronger we noticed that Arina was not developing as quickly as her
brother and it became evident that she was suffering from a lack of
calcification of her limbs. “She has already undergone surgery
which has been partially successful but we will have to wait for
her bones to develop further before we can look at pinning the leg
to fully correct it.”
Siberian or Amur tigers are endangered in the wild and it is
estimated that only 400 remain.
Neil said: “That’s why all births are so important – we need to
ensure that these beautiful big cats continue to survive for
generations to come.
“It’s great to see how far Kazimir and Arina have come – they
are really enjoying their new surroundings.”
Howletts in Bekesbourne Road, Bridge, is open
from 9.30am to 5pm, every day. Tickets are priced £23.95 for
adults, £19.95 for children and free for under
threes. Call 01227 721286 or visit www.aspinallfoundation.org
18/02/13
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