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ONE OF THE world’s rarest tigers has arrived in Cork as part of a breeding programme.
Dao is a two-year-old Sumatran tiger, the smallest of all tiger species and which feature a distinctive bearded mane and narrow stripes.
The species was declared critically endangered in 2008. Today, between 300 and 500 individuals remain in the wild on their native Sumatra, an island forming part of Indonesia.
Dao arrived in Fota Wildlife Park from Zoo Krefeld in Germany as part of a European Endangered species Programme (EEP) for Sumatran tigers. He was specially paired with Fota’s resident female tiger Jambi — who herself arrived in the Zoo from Germany last year — to ensure the genetic diversity of the species.
In a statement, Fota’s lead ranger Julien Fonteneau said Dao arrived in December and is “is settling in really well”.
”We hope they will both play a key part in global tiger conservation. The Sumatran tiger is being driven closer to extinction in the wild due to the destruction of its natural habitat, human-wildlife conflicts, and the deadly illegal trade fuelled by poaching.
“Introducing a new tiger is a highly specialised process that demands expert husbandry. Eventually, Dao and Jambi will be gradually acclimatised to each other in preparation for the breeding programme. The last tiger birth at Fota Wildlife Park was the male Dash, born in the summer of 2019 so we are very excited about the prospect of future cubs.”
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