Rare tigers are introduced as Dudley Zoo hopes for offspring
They rubbed noses as they said a friendly hello to each other for the first time. And it is the start of a budding new relationship for rare Sumatran tigers Daseep and Joao at Dudley Zoo.
Twenty-one-month-old male Joao, who arrived from Krefeld Zoo in Germany last month, has been slowly introduced to three-year-old Daseep in the internal dens over the past four weeks.
Yesterday big cat keepers decided the time was right for their first proper open-air meeting, and it was a huge success with the tigers keen to get to know one another and explore their new surroundings in the Tecton enclosure. Keepers hope that if their relationship continues to blossom, they will be hearing the pitter-patter of little paws in the enclosure.
The zoo's head of media and communications, Jill Hitchman, said: "The introduction went like a dream, we couldn't have asked for better. Since his arrival last month we've monitored
Joao very closely and given the two of them plenty of space off show to get used to each other.
"They both seem very comfortable with each other and are busy exploring the outdoor enclosure and den together. They will remain off show until early next week so Joao is confident of his new surroundings before we introduce him to the general public, but we know they'll all love him just as much as we do."
Sumatrans are among the rarest tigers in the world with fewer than 140 surviving in the wild and Daseep and Joao are part of a major international conservation project.
Daseep, ranked as the world's second most important female in the genetic pool for this species, transferred from Wuppertal Zoo in Germany in February 2012.
