‘Gorgeous’ tiger arrives at Fresno zoo. Here’s why staffers are hoping for cubs
There’s a new tiger at the zoo in Fresno, and her arrival has staff hoping for cubs in the future.
Batari, an 8-year-old female Malayan tiger, arrived in September from the Tulsa zoo, the Fresno Chaffee Zoo said in an Oct. 14 news release.
The zoo shared a video showing her arrival on social media. It also showed her settling into her new habitat in the zoo’s Kingdoms of Asia exhibit.
Batari was transferred at the recommendation of a survival plan for the species as a match for Penari, the zoo’s male Malayan tiger, officials said.
“Malayan tigers are critically endangered in their natural habitat, so these programs are crucial to keeping the population of this species healthy and stable for the long-term future,” the release said.
Nicole Presley, the zoo’s general curator, said the zoo is “excited to support the conservation efforts.”
“Kingdoms of Asia was designed with the intention to have more space for pairing, and we are happy to bring that goal to fruition,” Presley said in a statement. “We are hopeful there could be tiger cubs in the Zoo’s future.”
Guests will have the chance to see Batari in the exhibit, “but since tigers are a naturally solitary species, visitors can most often see them in their own individual habitats at the Zoo,” officials said in the release.
And because of their solitary nature, “Batari and Penari will not share an enclosure at all” and will “only meet to mate,” Your Central Valley reported.
The zoo’s other female tiger Dara will eventually transfer to another zoo as part of the Species Survival Plan, the zoo said in a comment on its Instagram post about Batari’s arrival.
Several people left comments about what a beautiful tiger Batari is.
“Welcome gorgeous!” someone said.
