The Siberian tiger, an endangered species, has produced offspring at Seoul Grand Park for the first time in three years.
On the 12th, Seoul Grand Park said that around 12 p.m. on June 6, Memorial Day this year, a purebred female Siberian tiger was born healthy. The cub will mark the 100th day since birth on the 13th.
This birth is the result of Seoul Grand Park's efforts to conserve endangered species. It is the first Siberian tiger birth at Seoul Grand Park since Apr. 2022, three years ago. In particular, the cub's parents, "Rostov" and "Penza," are purebred Siberian tigers born in the Russian wild in 2010 and brought to Seoul Zoo in 2011 to commemorate the 20th anniversary summit of Korea-Russia diplomatic ties. The fact that they achieved a healthy birth despite their advanced age (15) is especially significant.
A Seoul Grand Park official said, "It is a very important case for continuing the pure bloodline of the Siberian tiger, also called the 'Amur tiger,' which shares the same lineage as the Korean tiger that once lived on the Korean Peninsula," adding, "The cub's grandmother was also an individual rescued from the wild in Primorsky Krai, Russia, giving it high international conservation value."
To protect the tiger's health and stability, Seoul Grand Park densely planted western arborvitae along the service road behind the big-cat house to block noise and delayed opening hours for the service road near the big-cat house, creating a comfortable husbandry environment. The park also consistently applied medical training and enrichment programs to minimize stress and manage health.
Seoul Grand Park is paying close attention to the cub's health and, given the significance for species conservation, plans to name it through a public contest. The cub will be shown to the general public starting in mid-November, after first to fourth rounds of vaccinations are completed.
Park Jin-sun, head of Seoul Grand Park, said, "In an era marked by climate change and a biodiversity crisis, I am very pleased to share news of the birth of such a precious life," adding, "We will spare no careful attention and effort to ensure the cub grows up healthy."