An old enclosure at the Seaview Predator Park received two new residents this week.
Siberian tiger siblings Jasper and Jade were born at the park eight years ago and have remained behind the scenes until now. The pair were moved to an enclosure on Wednesday to add to visitors’ already memorable viewing experience.
The enclosure previously belonged to Nebbie, the oldest male white lion in captivity in the world, who died last year at the age of 22.
Over the last few months his old home has been adapted and reinforced to suit the needs of its new residents, and once everything was ready the move took place.
The park’s wildlife manager, Jo-Ann Meiring, said in the back section of the park they had a lot of cats not seen by the public.
“When Nebbie died we had the option of bringing some new faces to the front for our visitors to see. So we decided to move Jade and Jasper into the space,” Meiring said.
“The new enclosure is also enriching for them because it gives them a new space to explore.
“They will also have new neighbours, with another pair of Siberian tigers living in the next enclosure which they last saw when they were cubs. So they can look forward to a nice little reunion.”
Jasper, dubbed the “gentle giant”, is very docile and weighs close to 300kg. Jade on the other hand is significantly smaller, but according to Meiring she makes up for it with a lot more attitude.
For Wednesday’s move, the park brought their full staff complement, as well as a team of volunteers, on board to help.
Dr David Evezard, from the Kragga Kamma Veterinary Hospital, was on hand to assist with tranquillising the tigers and monitoring them during the move.
Evezard has been involved with the tigers since they were cubs and kept a close eye on them throughout the day’s activities.
The first step was to separate the siblings by luring Jade into a smaller pen inside their old enclosure.
Jasper was then darted, followed by Jade.
Once Jasper was moved into the new space and given the antidote for the tranquilliser, his sister was brought over.
Within a few minutes the pair were up and moving slowly, clearly very groggy from the potent sedative.
Meanwhile their other neighbours, a pair of female lions, took a keen interest in the tiger siblings and patrolled the adjacent fence continuously.
“We deliberately did not advertise the move because we did not want the public potentially swarming the park.
“Our tigers’ wellbeing is our priority and we wanted to give them a chance to get used to their new surroundings before spreading the news,” Meiring said.
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