Chester Zoo welcomes endangered Sumatran tiger that could be vital to protecting species

A zoo in the North West has welcomed a rare Sumatran tiger - and it is hoped he will play a vital role in helping to protect his critically endangered species.

Dash, the three-year-old big cat, has arrived at Chester Zoo after travelling from Fota Wildlife Park in Ireland.

Keepers hope he will hit it off with their resident female tiger Kasarna, who born at the Cheshire zoo in 2015, and go on to have cubs.

Sumatran tigers are exceptionally rare, with their wild population continuing to feel extreme pressure from habitat loss, poaching and human-tiger conflict.

Experts at Chester Zoo hope that the pair will help in the fight to save the highly-threatened species from extinction.

Mike Jordan, Director of Animals and Plants at Chester Zoo, said Dash has been "carefully matched" with Kasarna based on his age, character and genetics.

He said: "Without conservation efforts like these, the future for the Sumatran tiger may soon look similar to that of Javan, Caspian and Balinese tigers, which heartbreakingly are all now extinct.

"We have it in our power not to let that happen and we’re going to do everything we can to ensure it doesn’t.”

Sumatran tigers are found on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia where as little as 7% of its original habitat now remains.

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