REPORTAGE: Striped year, or what tigers purr about at the Minsk Zoo

The countdown of days until the festive chiming clock will soon move to one. So, it's time not only to take care of gifts, treats and decorations, but also to think about what we expect from the coming year - according to the Chinese calendar, the year of the blue water tiger. This color in the East is considered one of the most fickle, but the striped symbol also unequivocally alludes to future changes. Wayward and obstinate, inquisitive and fearless, the tiger is beautiful in its grandeur, but only equal in strength and qualities can negotiate with it. You can try to take tiger charm lessons at the MINSK Zoo. Only, as BelTA correspondents were convinced, they will have to be patient: these are not cats for you, they won’t come out of hiding to “kis-kis” only when they themselves want to.

Meet the Amur tigress Yaroslava. She arrived at the zoo from Penza in January 2019 as a seven-month-old tiger cub. Today, this large fiery-red cat with black stripes either hides in the closed part of the enclosure, or, to the delight of visitors, arranges circular races around its territory and does not hesitate to come closer to the public (only its enclosure is fenced on one side only with metal rods, without glass, like other tigers), from time to time emits a weak growl or purr.

“Yaroslava is playful, active, loves attention, almost always makes contact. Sometimes she even reacts to my calls, purring in response,” says Olga Komakova, methodologist at the Minsk Zoo. “But it wasn’t always like that. zoo, she was wary of visitors. She preferred to stay in the house. Now it's the other way around."

In nature, Amur tigers are the largest among all members of the family. But Yaroslava is a female, and males are always larger. Therefore, it is slightly inferior in size to another inhabitant of the zoo - the white Bengal tiger Simon.

This color (black-brown stripes on white fur) and blue eyes are a rarity in nature, the result of a mutation. The frequency of appearance of white tigers is one individual per 10 thousand of normal color. It is not surprising why the Indians believed that the one who saw the white tiger would be granted enlightenment and complete happiness.

The handsome male arrived in Minsk from Moscow back in 2014. Today, nine-year-old Simon pleases visitors with his sociability and majestic appearance while walking around the enclosure and relaxing in a niche of an artificial rock. And when cutting the next portion of beef, he attracts not only spectators, but also "freeloaders" - forty, waiting for their turn to feast on the leftovers.

During the promenades, Simon often comes to a lattice window in one of the walls, on the other side lives his girlfriend Tamuti. She arrived from Germany at the end of 2018.

"Employees paid great attention to the selection of a pair with a "pedigree" for their striped pet. The snow-white aristocrat was born in 2011, her ancestors are Bengal tigers from zoos in Germany and France," the zoo methodologist notes.

True, until the "Bengali" spark between the couple did not run. During the mating season, there were already attempts to bring Simon and Tamuti together, but the young lady turned out to be with character, wayward. She not only prefers to hide from human eyes, but also has a relationship with a potential partner until she burns with desire. "We'll try again," adds Olga Kolmakova. "In general, tigers are solitary by nature, they live separately, uniting in nature only to produce offspring."

Contrary to the opinion of skeptics, tigers in a zoo feel quite at ease. Yes, this is not wild nature, but neither Yaroslava nor the couple of Simon and Tamuti, born and raised in captivity, are adapted to it.

“Our tigers eat beef on the bone, in winter they get about 10 kg, in summer - about 6-7 kg. This is pure MEAT, no fat, because it is harmful to predators, and indeed to animals that live in the zoo,” Olga emphasizes. Komakov.

Once a week, the tigers are given a fasting day to prevent obesity. "This does not mean that they are starving: on the day of unloading, our cats receive MILK and eggs," the methodologist notes.

The zoo often hosts educational events, including demonstration feedings for visitors. Livestock specialists come up with various toys for animals in which meat can be hidden. This is important for predators - effortlessly hunt for food, and not just eat what was brought on a silver platter. And in general, in order for the tigers to move more, they have various toys at their disposal: ropes, tires, boards, stumps, balls, and so on.

The game is not just entertainment, but also part of learning the hunting skills that are familiar to predators even in the zoo. In any case, the tiger is a wild and dangerous animal, wherever it grows up. Firstly, he needs to create the necessary living conditions, and secondly, always keep in mind his natural essence. So getting a tiger as an exotic pet is extremely thoughtless. Even at the Minsk Zoo, livestock specialists who look after the animals do not have direct contact with tigers.

Olga Kolmakova explains that the chief livestock specialist for the "Predators" group, together with assistant caregivers, is responsible for ensuring that the tigers are fed, examined, and feel good. But even these employees cannot enter the cages. There is a special aft compartment, or shelter house, which is covered with a special gate. With this door, the employee can isolate the feed compartment from the main enclosure, in which the animal is currently located, in order to clean up and put food. Similarly, in the open space of the enclosure, you can put things in order by locking the beast in the aft compartment.

A veterinarian can stroke a tiger only in an exceptional case, and even then after having put the animal to sleep for examination and treatment. Basically, livestock specialists and veterinarians check the HEALTH of their wards every day at a distance - according to their behavior, appetite. And they pet cats at home.

In a word, you can look, you can not touch - this is the rule of communication with the striped inhabitants of the capital's zoo. How to negotiate with the blue water tiger - everyone decides for himself. It is only appropriate to recall the Japanese proverb that a tiger saves its skin, and a man saves a name.

Meanwhile, Olga Komakova, for example, does not believe in horoscopes, predictions and symbols. But at the same time, she is firmly convinced of one thing: in any case, a positive attitude, fun and happy memories are guaranteed when visiting the zoo. Especially on these New Year's Eve days, when garlands of festive lights shimmer on the territory, sparkling in the crystals of the snow cover, it smells of wood, frost, and the house of the fairy-tale wizard grandfather is about to open its doors.

Ekaterina KNYAZEVA,

photo by Andrey POKUMEYKO,

BELTA.