The Amur tiger (previously known as the Siberian tiger) is one of the world’s largest cats, with fewer than 500 remaining in Russia’s Far East, with a tiny number straying into China and maybe North Korea.

Tigers are primarily solitary creatures who only come together to reproduce. In the wild, they can live for up to 15 years, and in captivity, they can survive for even longer. They consume largely deer and wild boar in the wild, but at the zoo, they are fed rabbit, meat, chicken, vitamins, and minerals. Once a week, we have a “starve day” to mimic their eating habits in the wild.

Amur Tigers at Blackpool Zoo

Alyona, a female Amur tiger, lives in Blackpool Zoo. Since the death of her companion, Zambar, in 2018, she has lived on her own; being a naturally solitary animal, Alyona is content in her surroundings and is a very gentle temperament.

This species, which originates in Northern Asia, has been persecuted to extinction. Their populations have been destroyed because to poaching, habitat degradation due to farming and deforestation, and the sale of skins and body parts for traditional medicine. Tigers are estimated to number between 4,500 and 5,000 in the wild. The Amur tiger is both the world’s largest and most endangered cat.