Female tiger killed by male tiger at Knowsley Safari Park during breeding attempt

A safari park has announced the sudden death of one of its female tigers who was bitten by another tiger during a breeding attempt.

Keepers say Sinda, 14, sustained a severe bite injury at Knowsley Safari Park on Saturday, 12 November, from male tiger Miron.

A spokesperson from the safari park, where she lived for more than a decade, say the tiger's bite killed her instantly.

The zoo has released a statement which says: "We are sad to announce the loss of Sinda, our 14-year-old female Amur Tiger.

"Sinda sustained fatal injuries during a mixing with our male tiger, Miron, as part of a European breeding programme.

"Miron arrived at Knowsley Safari in 2020, he’d been mixed with Sinda successfully on several previous occasions.

"This introduction, like previous ones, was carefully managed by our expert animal team, taking into account each tiger’s behaviour and following the same rigorous procedures.

"Before the mixing, normal positive character traits were seen with no signs of aggression.

"Due to the speed of the incident, there was unfortunately nothing that could be done to intervene and Sinda died instantly from her injuries.

"Sinda was a very popular tiger with visitors and keepers alike and had been at Knowsley Safari since 2010 – she will be greatly missed.

"Our focus is now on ensuring that both our team and Miron are cared for during this difficult time."

Knowsley has shared information on its website to answer questions people may have about the breeding programme and how the incident came about.

It explains the pair were introduced because Amur tigers are an endangered species, with only around 500 remaining in the wild, and it was hoped they would be able to support the EAZA* Ex Situ breeding programme (EEP).

The Park says any such animal introduction "carries an element of risk" with this type of incident "naturally seen in big cats in the wild".