We have been celebrating Menya our Tiger cub first birthday here at Flamingo Land. On the 25th of August we provided her with her very own ‘tiger cake’ made from frozen beef, chicken, quail, rats and fish – lovely! She thoroughly enjoyed and even our guests all sang happy birthday to her on her special day. She joined by her mum Surya and Dad Bawa to join in with the feast.

Here at Flamingo Land we have a daily Sumatran Tiger talk at 1.30pm which involves explaining how our tigers are looked after, why we have them and the threats they face in the wild. We also try to coincide their feeding time during the talk which gives our public the best chance to appreciate our individuals as well as see them in action!

The biggest threats to this iconic species unfortunately are caused by us. There are currently only six species of Tiger left in the wild whereas there used to be nine. Caspian, Bali and Javan Tigers are already extinct whilst Sumatran, Bengal, Malayan, South China, Indochinese and Amur Tigers are sadly either endangered or critically endangered. With only roughly 3,500 tigers left in their natural habitat we generally have the same number of visitors in Flamingo Land each day in summer then there are wild tigers!

Tigers are under serious threat from poaching and habitat loss. 97% of tiger’s former range has now gone and there is only a small fragment left. They are poached for their fur, skins and body parts which are used for display or medicine – it has been proven to have no medicinal purpose whatsoever. Tigers also face a plight from illegal pet trade and live in poor conditions such as being chained up in a private collection. This highlights the importance of breeding populations within zoos. With enclosures designed to fit the tigers needs, dietary requirements and care it might give this hugely popular species a future. Menya is the forth cub that Surya and Bawa have had. The other three have since moved on to other zoo’s, one of which their son Kuasa has also fathered his own cub. With only 350 Sumatran Tigers in the wild any new additions are vitally important.