Construction work started for new tiger area at AquaZoo

At AquaZoo Leeuwarden, work has started on the new tiger area. In the eastern part of the zoo, work is underway on a more than 5,000-square-meter enclosure for the species expected in the park next year.

For the new area, two pools of water have been drained. Where carp, sea lions and crucian pelicans first swam, a blubbery landscape has now emerged. Caves, hills, a watercourse and climbing trees will rise here in the coming months. There will be lots of greenery, both plants and trees from the Amur River basin - where the tigers still live in the wild - and native Frisian species, such as oak trees.

The new enclosure will house two Amur tigers, also known as Siberian tigers. Female Aïda is 2.5 years old and comes from Safaripark Beekse Bergen. Male Vadim, 6.5 years old, comes over from Sosto Zoo in Hungary.

ContributionsAmur tigers are endangered in the wild. They are being hunted by poachers and the shrinking of their habitat due to logging is also a major problem for this species. AquaZoo, through Stichting Wildlife, supports WCS Russia, which is working to preserve the Amur tigers. Also, with the arrival of this species, the park will contribute to its management program, also known as a breeding program.

Through various forms of education, visitors in the new area are taken to the basin of the Amur River, one of the largest rivers in the world that flows in the southernmost part of Siberia, on the border of Russia and China. Along the way, they learn about the typical characteristics of the Amur tiger and its habitat and the possible effects of species disappearance on an ecosystem. They will also be told what both aid organizations like WCS Russia and the visitors themselves can do to improve the situation for this animal in the wild.