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'First of its kind' tiger habitat opens at Paradise Wildlife Park

Paradise Wildlife Park Land of the TigersParadise Wildlife Park
Cameron Whitnall from the zoo said the two Amur tigers have been "fascinated" by the fish, which they were not expected to eat

A new habitat, said to be the first in the UK where Amur tigers can be viewed under the water and co-exist with another species, has been created.

Land of the Tigers at Paradise Wildlife Park in Hertfordshire features in the new CBBC show One, Zoo, Three and opens to the public on Saturday.

It features a pool with fish that deep enough for both tigers to be fully submerged.

The tigers are "more relaxed than ever" in their new home, the park said.

Paradise Wildlife Park Land of the TigersParadise Wildlife Park
Aaron Whitnall, from the zoo, said they were "really pleased" with how the tigers were adapting to the new environment
Aaron, Tyler and Cam Whitnall
Brothers Aaron, Tyler and Cameron Whitnall, who live and work at the family's zoo, have supervised the tigers' introduction to their new home

The zoo, near Broxbourne, has 800 animals and its two 200kg (441 lbs) tigers, Aleena and Siberia, have been moved to a new 600 sq m (6,458 sq ft) habitat, which the park said was themed to raise awareness of practices such as illegal logging which threaten the species in the wild.

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Paradise Wildlife Park Land of the TigersParadise Wildlife Park
Star of BBC Two's Big Cats About the House, Giles Clark called it an "absolutely fantastic habitat which has put the animal's welfare at the very forefront"

Amur tigers

  • Amur tigers are the largest cats in the world and are found in southern Russia and northern China
  • They are constantly under threat due to human impacts such as habitat destruction, poaching and the illegal wildlife trade
  • There are about 400 left in the wild

Source: Paradise Wildlife Park

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The park said no other Amur tiger enclosure features a pool deep enough for two tigers to be submerged in and it is also the country's first mixed habitat, with the introduction of 41 koi and grass carp.

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Paradise Wildlife Park said their two Amur tigers were "more relaxed than ever and enjoying their new space"
Paradise Wildlife Park Land of the TigersParadise Wildlife Park
The habitat's theme centres around the illegal logging trade where deforestration threatens the species

Aaron Whitnall, one of three brothers who run the family zoo, said: "We are trying with each new habitat to build a story around it, to educate the public as to what is endangering the animals."

The decision to introduce fish went through an ethics committee - a group of world-renowned vets, keepers and other wildlife experts - who said it was "fantastic enrichment" for the animals, Mr Whitnall added.

"You can never eliminate stress completely but the tigers were showing less than 1% of stressful behaviours in their old environment so they were as happy as they could be there," he said.

"Since their move they've showed a total behaviour change - they are more relaxed than ever and enjoying their new space."

Aaron Tyler and Cam Whitnall
The Whitnall brothers tested out the habitat before the tigers were allowed in
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