Sabrina and Savannah Are At the Amarrillo Zoo

http://amarillo.com/news/local-news/2011-03-12/tigers-make-debut

Tigers make debut


Big cat addition also includes black leopard

Posted: March 12, 2011 - 1:27am


Six-year-old Bengal tiger Sabrina tries out her new digs Friday in the tiger exhibit at the Amarillo Zoo. Two female tigers from a tiger rescue in San Antonio were donated to the zoo.


E.J. Scott, 3, watches Friday as Sabrina, a 6-year-old Bengal tiger, tries out her new exhibit at the Amarillo Zoo.


Stephen Spillman / Amarillo Globe-News

Six-year-old Bengal tiger Sabrina tries out her new digs



By Cheryl Berzanskis


Sabrina strolled the fenced runway out of her house and into the yard like a graceful queen greeting her public Friday. The 6-year-old Bengal tiger and her shy companion, Savannah, are two of the Amarillo Zoo's latest acquisitions.


Visitors can see Sabrina and Savannah today in their new home on the east side of the zoo, neighboring the lions and bobcats. The zoo's other new resident, a black leopard named Maverick, will live on the north side of the cat compound across from the coyotes on the zoo's northern edge.


The trio arrived in January from the Wild Animal Orphanage in San Antonio, a rescue facility for exotic animals that announced last year it would place as many exotics as possible before closing due to financial difficulties.


Sabrina, Savannah and Maverick were free to the Amarillo Zoo; donations paid for their food and veterinary care before transport to Amarillo. The cats were vaccinated against rabies and distemper and quarantined 30 days for observation.


Bringing the felines to Amarillo contributes to animal conservation through education about the species, said Rhonda Votino, zoo curator.


"They make good ambassadors, and you can educate people about the tiger species," she said.


It isn't easy for the zoo to find exotic animals to host because it lacks accreditation from the American Zoo and Aquarium Association. The association creates standards and inspects more than 200 zoos and aquariums.


The zoo is working toward the goal of accreditation. By doing so, the zoo would be able to host animals from other zoos and participate in animal-breeding programs.


Holly, the zoo's last Bengal tiger, was euthanized in August 2009 at age 19 because of severe seizures. Raven, a black leopard, died last year of age-related kidney failure.


While Sabrina strolled her new yard, Savannah, described by Votino as "more apprehensive," kept to herself inside their barn. City workers expected to complete Maverick's enclosure Friday.


While Sabrina explored her new digs, three lions from next door crowded into the corner closest to the tiger cage. The big cats exchanged low rumbles, then dispersed to other pursuits, the lions to their naps and the tiger to further explore. Three bobcats on the north side of the tiger cage watched the goings on perched in trees in their cage.


Henry Janhsen, president of the Amarillo Zoological Society, which conducts fundraising and promotion of the zoo, noted visitors could get within a few feet of the orange and black animal as she strolled her enclosure just inside the fence and only a few steps from the pedestrian walkway.


"I think they have a natural attraction to people. They are beautiful animals," he said.


Meg O'Brien brought her 2-year-old daughter Laurel to see the big cat debut.


"She loves animals," O'Brien said. "The bobcats, and the coyotes when they howl, and she really likes the monkey exhibit."


Her hopes for the zoo's future include children's classes in the planned education center, which is in the cost estimation stage, and an aquarium.


Amarillo Zoo


When: Open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., except New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas


Where: Inside Thompson Park at Northeast 24th Avenue and U.S. Highway 287


Cost: $3 for ages 13-61; $2 for ages 62 and up; $1 for children 3-12; ages 2 and under free. Admission is free on Mondays.


Information: 806-381-5605


On the Web: www.amarillozoo.orgSabrina and Savannah


• Female Bengal tigers


• Each is 6 years old.


• Each weighs between 300 and 350 pounds.


• Tigers eat 7 to 8 pounds of beef-based food five days per week, a rabbit once a week and a beef leg once a week. The diet is designed to mimic that of tigers living in the wild.


• Most Bengals living in the wild are in India; others are in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, western Myanmar and Nepal. They are endangered by habitat fragmentation, decline in prey, poaching and retaliation killing. The estimated number of Bengals in the wild is 4,000, according to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.


Source: Amarillo ZooMaverick


• Male black leopard


• 17 years old


• Weighs about 100 pounds


• He eats about 2 pounds of food each day on the same schedule as the tigers.


• Scientists don't know how many leopards live in the wild, but they are found in sub-Saharan Africa, according to Leopard Conservation Project.


Source: Amarillo Zoo