The tiger is divided into six different recent subspecies, of which the Siberian tiger is the largest and also the most northernly distributed. This largest big cat is extremely adaptable and can withstand temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius.
They spend a large part of their time "lurking", patiently waiting for prey and the opportunity to kill it. Once a tiger has spotted a potential prey animal, it approaches cautiously before attempting to overpower it with a well-directed leap from behind. However, hunting success is rather low: on average, only every tenth attack is successful.
In order to simulate this natural behaviour at Zoo Zurich, the Siberian tiger is not simply provided with meat every day. Instead, we offer the Siberian tigers a diet adapted to their hunting strategy. This includes, for example, switching between different enclosures, the use of species-appropriate incentives or the passing of its prey via a ropeway. These measures make it possible to imitate the successes and failures of the animals' prey behaviour and come as close as possible to natural living conditions.
In the 1940s, the Siberian tiger was almost extinct. Only around 50 animals remained in the region north of Vladivostok. Thanks to strict protective measures by the Soviet government, the population had risen to around 200 animals by 1982. Today, around 750 Siberian tigers live in Russia and neighboring areas of China and North Korea.
For several years, Zoo Zurich has made financial contributions to projects to support gamekeepers and fight forest fires. Unfortunately, the Siberian tiger remains endangered. Its bones are still sought after in Chinese medicine, although the trade in tiger bones has been banned in China since 1993. The illegal trade continues to flourish, with Thailand and Vietnam as the main transshipment points.
| Classification |
carnivores, cats, tigers (9 subspecies) |
|
| Habitat |
deciduous and coniferous forests in the lowlands and mountains |
|
| Mode of life |
nocturnal, territorial |
|
| Social structure |
solitary, females with young |
|
| Diet |
up to 10 kg meat daily, mainly wild boar, roe deer and red deer |
|
| Weight |
females up to 185 kg, males up to 280 kg, newborns up to 1.6 kg |
|
| Head to torso length |
up to 220 cm, rarely up to 280 cm |
|
| Shoulder height |
110 cm |
|
| Tail length |
100 cm |
|
| Gestation period |
95 to 112 days |
|
| Litter size |
2 to 7 young |
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| Sexual maturity |
4 to 5 years |
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| Mating season |
whole year, but mainly in winter and spring |
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| Life span |
20 years |
|
| Use |
bones for Chinese medicine, fur |
|
| Current population |
in the wild over 500 animals, mainly in Sikhote Alin in Russia, in European zoos around 300 animals |
|
| At Zoo Zurich since |
from 1929 to 1945, 1961 to 1968 and from 1979, a total of 56 young animals (to date), internationally coordinated breeding (EEP) |
|
Sponsors
| ZEYA |
Familie Bardenhewer, Zürich |
| AKIM |
M. Rahn, Zürich |
| AKIM |
Familie S. + St. + T. + L. Huber, Dielsdorf |
