Keepers at Dudley Zoo are hoping to soon hear the pitter-patter of little paws as they introduce their male and female Sumatran tigers as part of an international breeding programme to save the critically-endangered species.
Love is blossoming between two of the most critically endangered breeds of tiger in the world at Dudley Zoo.
Keepers have put three-year-old female Sumatran tiger Daseep to 21-month-old male Joao face to face for the first time in the hope of soon hearing the pitter-patter of little paws in the tiger enclosure.
And they say the first proper meeting was a great success, with the pair touching noses in greeting.
Joao arrived from Germany's Krefeld Zoo last month and the pair have been slowly introduced in neighbouring internal dens, to give them chance to get to know one another.
Sumatran tigers are among the rarest in the world, with just 140 remaining in the wild.
The breeding programme is part of a major worldwide conservation project.
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The city’s spike in coronavirus cases has sparked a report that it may be the first UK location to be subjected to a district lockdown.