Calgary Zoo says goodbye to 1 male tiger, hello to another
The Calgary Zoo is getting a new tiger that is expected to be a perfect match for female Sarma, and will hopefully lead to the pitter patter of little paws.
Sarma, a 10-year-old Amur tiger, came to the zoo in 2017. A year later, another tiger, male Youri, came to the zoo from Quebec.
It was hoped the pair would mate as they were recommended for breeding by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Tiger Species Survival Plan (SPP) – described by the Calgary Zoo as a "modern-day dating app for animals."
However, Sarma and Youri have not successfully bred since they've been together.
As such, the zoo is bringing in a new match for Sarma found via the SPP: nine-year-old Samkha.
Samkha was born at the Calgary Zoo in 2012 but has lived in Winnipeg since 2014. (Assiniboine Park Zoo)Samkha was born at the Calgary Zoo in 2012 but has lived in Winnipeg since 2014.
He'll return to Calgary in the next few weeks.
“Sarma and Samkha are genetically valuable individuals within the global Amur tiger population," said the zoo's director of animal care, health and welfare Jamie Dorgan.
"Supporting them to successfully produce offspring is critical for the international efforts to save wild Amur tigers from extinction.”
Because Youri and Sarma weren't a successful match, Youri will be leaving the Calgary Zoo and instead live in the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg.
Youri will be leaving the Calgary Zoo and instead live in the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg. (Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo)"Until he has a new breeding recommendation, Youri will be reunited with his sister, Volga, who currently resides at the Assiniboine Park Zoo," a news release explained.
When Samkha arrives in early December he will spend a short time in quarantine before joining the other tigers.
Mating season for Amur tigers is typically December to January.
Tigers have a gestation period of three to four months and the average litter size is three or four cubs.
If Sarma and Samkha successfully mate, their cubs will likely stay at the Calgary Zoo until they mature, at which time they'd head off to new homes.
The last time the Calgary Zoo had tiger cubs was back in 2012.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Saskatchewan households will continue to receive carbon tax rebate: Trudeau
Households in Saskatchewan will continue to receive Canada Carbon Rebate payments, despite the province refusing to remit natural gas levies to the federal government, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday.
'It's just so hard to let it go': Umar Zameer still haunted by death of Toronto police officer
'We hoped for this day, but we were scared that it would not never ever come because it took so long.' That’s what Umar Zameer, the man recently acquitted in the death of a Toronto police officer, told CTV News Toronto in a sit-down interview on Tuesday.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.