A little over a year and a half ago, the Roosevelt Park Zoo welcomed three striped, little bundles of joy. The Zoo happily announced the birth of the three tiger cubs in March 2022. The three cubs, Viktoria, Luka, and Dmitri are nearly grown now and will soon be headed out into the world.
The Amur tiger Species Survival Program recommendations were sweeping regarding the Roosevelt Park Zoo by recommending that the Zoo not only transfer out the three cubs, but also our male tiger Viktor. The success the Zoo enjoyed with the new tiger habitats, that opened in 2020, and a passionate zookeeper staff, has caught the attention of those responsible for managing the tiger population in human care.
At this point, Viktor has already been transferred to his new home in Denver. The Zoo is now preparing for the upcoming transfers of the cubs. Exact days have not yet been set, but it will happen soon. Viktoria will likely be the first to leave, followed shortly by the boys. Dimitri and Luka will remain together when they move to their new home.
During this same period, the Zoo will be receiving a new male that the SSP is wanting to breed with Zoya. He has not been successful breeding at his current institution and the SSP is hopeful that the Roosevelt Park Zoo with its staff, facilities, and experienced mother in Zoya, will be the key for producing offspring.
It has been amazing watching them grow and thrive at the Zoo, but if all goes well, we won’t go too long before we can start all over again.
With the weather turning around this weekend, it will be a great time for getting out to say your farewells and see them once more before they move on to their new homes.
Background:
Viktor – a male born Sept. 26, 2011, at the Toledo Zoo and arrived in Minot on Nov. 19, 2013.
Zoya – a female born July 10, 2017, at the Philadelphia Zoo and raised at the Oklahoma City Zoo, arrived in Minot on August 19, 2019.
Viktoria – a female born March 19, 2022, at the Roosevelt Park Zoo.
Dmitri – a male born March 19, 2022, at the Roosevelt Park Zoo.
Luka – a male born March 19, 2022, at the Roosevelt Park Zoo.
- The most recent IUCN Red List assessment published in 2022, estimated the population of tigers in the wild to be 265–486 in the Russian Far East with a further small number ranging across the border into China and possibly North Korea.
- In the wild, tigers can live between 10-15 years, but in captivity, they live nearer to 20 years old.
