After six years of traveling at different zoos, one tiger, Pootsman, a male, has returned to Tallinn Zoo along, this time with a female companion, Danuta, also a Siberian tiger.

While cohabitation is generally uncommon for tigers, Pootsman and Danuta formed a strong bond when they were both at Ljubljana Zoo, hence the decision to relocate them together to Tallinn.

Pootsman is aged 13 and will be undergoing surgery soon after a tumor was found on his abdominal wall during a health check in while in captivity in Ljubljana, Tallinn Zoo's chief vet Aleksandr Semjonov said.

The survey will be performed by vets from the Tartu-based Estonian University of Life Sciences (Maaülikool) in the coming weeks.

The tiger also has dental issues, Semjonov added. It was during a dental check up under anesthesia when the tumor was discovered.

The journey overland from Ljubljana to Tallinn began on June 6 and lasted two days, passing smoothly and calmly for both animals.

Longer stops were at night, allowing the tigers to rest, eat, and drink.

Upon reaching the outskirts of Tallinn, a police escort ensured the safe and swift transport of the tigers to the zoo.

The Tiger Valley exhibit will open to visitors starting June 19, and two more tigers are expected to be added: A young female Amur tiger, Ohana, from Helsinki's Korkeasaari Zoo, and a young male of the same species, Aleksander, who is coming from the Highland Wildlife Park in the Cairngorms in Scotland.

Other Far Eastern animal species, including the Amur leopard, red wolf, Japanese crane, black stork, Eurasian eagle-owl, and Ural owl are to feature in the exhibit.

The Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), known in Estonia as the Amur tiger, is estimated at numbering in the hundreds in the wild, and is found in the Russian far east and northeastern China.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!