ZSL London Zoo’s brand new Sumatran tiger enclosure was officially opened by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh on Wednesday 20 March.
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The £3.6m Tiger Territory project has redeveloped the 186-year-old site to make a 2, 500sqm (27, 000sqft) enclosure, five times the size of the previous tiger enclosure.
Tiger Territory recreates an Indonesian habitat for Jae Jae and Melati, Europe’s most genetically important pair of Sumatran tigers, and is ZSL London Zoo’s biggest investment since Gorilla Kingdom in 2007.
The enclosure features tall trees and high feeding poles for the tigers to climb as well as a custom-built pool and indoor dens. Visitors are able to watch the tigers through floor-to-ceiling glass windows.
ZSL London Zoo co-ordinates the European breeding programme, and the Global Management Species Programme for Sumatran tigers. It is hoped that Tiger Territory will enable ZSL to breed tigers at ZSL London Zoo, and also to learn more about the world’s most popular animal to apply to field conservation projects
