62.1°F  Website Login | Royal OakFebruary 3, 2012Zoo hopes Amur tigers find amore
By Heidi Roman
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A 13-year-old male Amur tiger named Kolyma, pictured, recently arrived at the Detroit Zoo as a potential mate for 8-year-old Kisa. The zoo hopes to welcome new cubs this summer if the match is successful.
A 13-year-old male Amur tiger named Kolyma, pictured, recently arrived at the Detroit Zoo as a potential mate for 8-year-old Kisa. The zoo hopes to welcome new cubs this summer if the match is successful.
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Kisa, an 8-year-old female tiger at the Detroit Zoo, has a new sweetie for Valentine’s Day this year.
A 13-year-old Amur tiger arrived at the zoo as a potential mate for Kisa just in time for breeding season.
Kolyma, pronounced ko-LEEM-a, was sent from the Racine Zoo in Wisconsin after he was identified as a breeding partner for Kisa. He is named for the region in Russia where Amur tigers are found.
The typical breeding season for Amur tigers is January through April, but year-round breeding is possible. The gestation period is three and a half months, so if the match is successful, visitors could see tiger cubs this summer, according to Robert Lessnau, curator of mammals at the Detroit Zoo.
“Neither Kolyma nor Kisa has produced offspring, but we are hopeful that will change,” Lessnau said in a statement. “Animals are individuals and there are no guarantees of success.”
Tigers produce an average of two cubs during pregnancy.
An Amur tiger can grow to 10 feet in length and weigh up to 400 pounds, making it the largest subspecies of tiger, according to the zoo.
The Amur tiger is classified as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Only about 450 such tigers remain in the wild because of illegal poaching and deforestation.
For more information about the Detroit Zoo, visit www.detroitzoo.org or call (248) 541-5717.
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