Rare Amur tiger killed in fight with two others at safari park

A tiger has died following a fight with two others at Longleat Safari Park.

Shouri, a female Amur tiger, entered an enclosure through an unlocked door where a mating pair of tigers, Red and Yana, were being kept. A fight broke out and Shouri was killed.

It follows the death of 10-year-old female Sumatran tiger Melati at London Zoo last week when Asim, her intended mate brought over from Denmark, was allowed into her enclosure and attacked her.

Longleat Park was not open to the public at the time of the latest incident and an investigation has been launched to establish how Shouri was able to get into the paddock, a statement said.

The park said on Wednesday: “Yesterday afternoon Shouri gained access to an adjacent paddock where two other tigers, Red and Yana, were waiting to be let into the main enclosure. As a result a fight ensued between the three.

“During the process of moving the tigers between the various outdoor paddocks a door connecting two areas was opened which meant Shouri was able to gain access to the same outdoor area as Red and Yana.”

Shouri, 13, had been at the park for more than 12 years and staff are said to be “extremely distraught” following her death.

The statement added: “Her loss is very hard to take and she will be missed by all the staff here as well as our visitors.”

Red and Yana arrived at the park in 2018 as a breeding pair and are part of the European Endangered Species Programme.

The statement said: “Although Shouri was not part of a breeding programme, she was still an incredibly important ambassador for her species and part of the global mission to raise awareness for this amazing animal.”

Amur (Siberian) tigers are an endangered species in the wild with as little as 500 left in their natural habitats.