Meet the tiger cubs at AquaZoo Leeuwarden
On June 15, 2023, no fewer than four Amur tiger cubs were born at AquaZoo! It’s the first time the Frisian zoo, located in the heart of the Groene Ster nature reserve, has welcomed tiger cubs. "The birth of young animals is always something special. You hope for it, but when it actually happens, it’s truly amazing," says head zookeeper William Kreijkes. "And then to have four of them—something we never even dared to dream of. At first, the cubs stayed mostly indoors, but now we’re seeing them start to explore. We expect they’ll be spending more and more time outside this summer."
The Amur Tiger at AquaZoo
The Amur tiger, which lives in the river basin of the same name on the border between China and Siberia, is critically endangered in the wild,only a few hundred remain. The greatest threat to their survival is humans. They are heavily hunted by poachers, mainly for use in traditional medicine. In addition, their habitat is shrinking rapidly due to forest fires and logging. In the past hundred years, a staggering 93 percent of their natural habitat has disappeared.
That’s why European zoos have a management program aimed at preserving this species and maintaining a healthy population in the parks. These animals are not owned by the zoos themselves, but by the management programs. For each species, there is a coordinator who decides which animals are allowed to breed and where any offspring will go. No money is involved in this process.
“ "Zoos can’t simply buy or sell animals," Kreijkes explains. "If a park wants to have a certain animal, it really has to prove that it can provide proper care for the species and that it meets all the necessary requirements." ”
Of course, alongside the Amur tiger, there are many other fascinating and unique animals to discover at AquaZoo. For example, you can stroll along the beach with the penguins, walk straight through the habitat of the ring-tailed lemurs, and come face to face with the impressive Nile crocodiles. Curious to see which other animals live at the park? Then be sure to check out the AquaZoo animal page.
Check out the animal page
Tickets and practical information
On the AquaZoo website, you can find all the information about prices, opening hours, parking, dining options, and the park map. Did you know you can buy your tickets online at a discount? So be sure to check out www.aquazoo.nl soon!
Buy tickets online
