Opening of the New Enclosure for Amur Tigers at Wilhelma

(eap) The new enclosure for Amur tigers was officially opened yesterday at Wilhelma, Stuttgart’s zoological and botanical garden. Wilhelma Director Dr. Thomas Kölpin, the Chief Construction Director of Vermögen und Bau Stuttgart, Simon Schreiber, and the Baden-Württemberg Minister of Finance, Dr. Danyal Bayaz, were attending the inauguration.

© Achim Birnbaum Architektur Fotografie “The tigers Amazar and Noïa are sure to be crowd favorites and the facility will be another highlight for visitors. In the visitor tunnel, you can get fascinatingly close to the tigers. The new Amur tiger enclosure is an important milestone for Wilhelma; it is one of the most modern enclosures for big cats in Europe,” emphasizes Bayaz.

Wilhelma Director Kölpin explains: “Our new arrivals were born in 2023. It will therefore be some time before both are sexually mature. With three outdoor enclosures, an open stable and six large tiger boxes, we offer the best opportunities for breeding the endangered big cats. Tigers actually live solitary lives, so they have to be brought together for mating. It is also necessary to provide sufficient space for adult cubs until they find a new home in another zoo. Therefore, the division of the enclosure into several areas, which can be connected to each other or separated by sliders, is a basic prerequisite for successful breeding.”

© Achim Birnbaum Architektur Fotografie

The two animals have already moved into the enclosure. Amur tigers are native to the wild in the far east of Russia and in neighboring areas in China and North Korea and are considered highly endangered. In addition to individual areas, the new enclosure offers caves, hiding places and bathing facilities as well as trees, shrubs and bushes from the species’ natural range. Three shelters and a tunnel offer visitors various observation points on the site.

The developer of the new space is the state of Baden-Württemberg, represented by Vermögen und Bau Stuttgart. The state has invested around 5.5 million euros in the facility. The Association of Friends and Sponsors of Wilhelma has contributed with additional financial support amounting to a further million euros to the realization of the facility. ■