Tigers visit Minnesota’s Northern Trail

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Courtesy of mnzoo.org

The Minnesota Zoo has two new visitors to the Northern Trail area, in the Tier Lair: Callisto from the Columbus Zoo, and Aurora from Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, who arrived in November of 2017.

Both are female Amur tigers, and are between one and two years of age. Behind the scenes, hardworking zookeepers have been successful and creating companionship between the visitors.

The Northern Trail Assistant Curator, Trista Fischer, is feeling positive about the two tigers in Minnesota, saying, “Both females are getting along really well. Callisto’s mellow personality has benefited Aurora, as she has become a calmer, more confident cat. These two like to spend their days chasing each other through the snow and snuggling up in the front window of our Tiger Lair. For these girls, there is no better enrichment than a good buddy.”

Callisto and Aurora are now two of five Amur tigers that currently call the Minnesota Zoo home. Dr. Tara Harris, vice president for conservation and Tiger SSP coordinator praised the zoo for its role in wildlife conservation around the world, and its work in helping to save the at-risk animals. “The Minnesota Zoo serves as a leader in wildlife conservation around the world and is home to the Tiger Species Survival Plan (SSP),” Aurora and Calisto, along with the other Amur tigers at the Minnesota Zoo, are awe-inspiring ambassadors for their endangered wild counterparts.  It’s our mission to create those invaluable connections between animals and our guests, to inspire people to care, learn more, and act to save wildlife.”

Coordinated by Minnesota Zoo staff since its initiation in 2012, the Tiger SSP’s Tiger Conservation Campaign and its supporters have raised nearly $1 million for on-the-ground projects that are helping save wild tigers. The public can learn about and contribute to these efforts by visiting tigercampaign.org and facebook.com/tigercampaign.

Along with this program, the Minnesota Zoo is also part of a 15-member coalition that make up the Amur Leopard and Tiger Alliance. The coalition members pool resources in order to help support conservation efforts for Amur Tigers and Leopards in the wild.  The funds that are contributed help to monitor the wild populations of these big cats in the Russian Far East.  More information about the Amur Leopard and Tiger Alliance can be found at altaconservation.org.

The Amur Tiger is the largest of all cast and is the top predator of far eastern Asia. With its thick fur, the tiger is protected against the areas extreme cold and icy winds during the winter. Its stripes help camouflage the big cat rendering it almost invisible to its prey. The cats are carnivores that feed mainly on large mammals such as deer and boar.

The Amur tiger is in danger due to the poaching of the tigers themselves and the food that they prey on; with conservation efforts the population of Amur tigers has increased from as low as 20 to 30 in 1940, to about 500 today. Through the Tiger SSP’s Tiger Conservation Campaign, the Minnesota Zoo supports efforts to improve anti-poaching patrols in the Russian Far East and to close old logging roads in order to prevent poacher access.