Blackpool Zoo welcomes 'stunning' Amur tiger as part of new breeding programme

Blackpool Zoo says it has welcomed a "stunning" Amur tiger has settled into its new surrondings as part of a new breeding programme.

Rusty, 4, arrived in Blackpool from Longleat Safari Park on Thursday 29 June.

His move comes after the zoo invested heavily in the new facility that has been designed and built to meet the needs of the magnificent animals that will call it home.

The £1.5 million Big Cat Habitat was opened to the public in May 2023. It is home to African lion Khari and his pride Narla, Emma and Hira, as well as Alyona the Amur Tiger.

The Big Cat Habitat combines increased indoor space and a larger off-show management area with extended external paddocks and improved keeper facilities.

Darren Webster, Zoo Director at Blackpool Zoo, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Rusty to Blackpool Zoo and he is settling in very well in his new home.

“He is a stunning tiger and a very important part of the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP) for Amur tigers, which are the largest species of cat on earth.

“His presence in our new Big Cat Habitat will certainly be a welcome sight for keepers, staff and visitors alike.”

The most recent IUCN Red List assessment of Amur tigers, published in 2022, estimated the population was around 265–486 in the Russian Far East with a further small number ranging across the border into China and possibly North Korea.

Threats to the species include human and tiger conflict, poaching, forest fires and logging.

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