Surabaya Zoo gets two tigers

SURABAYA: Two Bengal tigers from the Indonesian Safari Park II in Prigen, East Java, have been loaned to the Surabaya Zoo for breeding purposes.

The zoo's conservation manager, Liang Kaspe, said on Wednesday the tigers would remain at the zoo for five years in order to breed.

"It takes one month for a tiger to start breeding. The cubs will then be shared with the safari park according to our agreement," he said.

The tigers are a white male named Bayu weighing 250 kilograms, and a brown-striped female named Tanti that weighs 170 kilograms.

Both tigers will be kept in cages for two to three days, after which they will be released into a larger enclosure.

Besides the tigers, the safari park will also loan the zoo three llamas for breeding purposes.

"This is part of our effort to conserve rare animals in Indonesia," Liang said. --JP