A Conservation Milestone After Three Years: Seoul Grand Park Celebrates 100 Days Since Birth of Tiger Cub

Female Tiger Born on Memorial Day This Year
Name to Be Chosen Through Public Contest
Cub to Be Introduced to Public in Mid-November

The endangered Siberian tiger has produced offspring at Seoul Grand Park for the first time in three years, thanks to the park's conservation efforts. On September 12, Seoul Grand Park announced that a purebred female Siberian tiger was born healthy around noon on June 6, Memorial Day this year. This marks the first tiger birth at Seoul Grand Park since April 2022, nearly three years ago. The cub will celebrate its 100th day since birth on September 13. A Seoul Grand Park official emphasized, "Both parents of the cub are 15 years old, which is considered elderly for tigers. The fact that they were able to breed under such circumstances makes this birth even more significant."

A baby tiger born at Seoul Grand Park. Seoul Grand Park

The cub's father, "Rostov," and mother, "Penza," were born in the wild in Russia in 2010. They were brought to Seoul Zoo on May 22, 2011, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Russia. Both tigers are Siberian tigers and have received meticulous care and attention at the zoo. The Siberian tiger, also known as the Amur tiger, shares the same lineage as the "Korean tiger" that once inhabited the Korean Peninsula.

Seoul Grand Park explained that the cub's "grandmother" was rescued from the wild in Primorsky Krai, Russia, and has high conservation value internationally for maintaining a pure bloodline. The park attributed the successful and healthy birth at such an advanced age to ongoing improvements in the breeding environment and diligent health management.

To create a quiet environment for the tigers, Seoul Grand Park densely planted western arborvitae trees along the zoo service road behind the big cat enclosure to block noise from visitors and work vehicles. Additionally, since the beginning of this year, the opening hours of the service road adjacent to the big cat enclosure have been delayed by one to two hours, allowing the tigers to get sufficient sleep. Medical training has been used to minimize stress during health monitoring procedures such as blood sampling, and various enrichment programs have been consistently implemented.

A baby tiger and its mother born at Seoul Grand Park (the day after birth). Seoul Grand Park

Seoul Grand Park is taking great care in managing the health of the tiger cub. Given the significance of conserving endangered species through breeding, the park plans to select the cub's name through a public contest and will introduce the cub to the public around mid-November, after the completion of the first to fourth rounds of vaccinations. Park Jinsun, Director of Seoul Grand Park, said, "We are very pleased to share the news of the birth of this precious animal amid climate change and the biodiversity crisis. We will pay close attention to ensure the cub grows up healthy and do our utmost to realize both species conservation and animal welfare at the zoo."