Four hundred pounds of Siberian tiger travelled in a crate to Calgary from New York via FedEx, and is now ready for Calgary Zoo visitors to meet.
The newcomer, Baikal, will be turning nine at the end of May and is now the largest tiger in the enclosure at the zoo.
“They actually introduced him to Katja this morning and they were waiting for her to give the green light,” said Laurie Herron of the Calgary Zoo.
After being with the other tigers for 10 days, Baikal was introduced to Katja for breeding purposes.
With Siberian tigers facing a threat of extinction, the Calgary Zoo says it is doing its best to keep the species alive in captivity.
“Zoos and aquariums are a bit like the modern day’s Noah’s Ark, trying to keep alive a healthy captive gene pool,” said Herron.
Baikal can now be seen in the Eurasia section at the zoo.
