This transplant has 4 paws and a whoooole lot of kitty cat sass.
Nikita is an Amur tiger born at the Pittsburgh Zoo in 2010. The 6-year-old girl was transferred to Denver Zoo in November 2016, where she will be living in the new exhibit The Edge.
Amur (also known as ‘Siberian’) tigers are classified as endangered, with less than an estimated 400 left in the wild. They’re the largest living members of the cat family, with males weighing up to 700 lb. and growing up to 12 feet long.
Nikita is described as “smart, but quite shy around new people” (me too, girl). Her interests include interacting with the other large cats near her cage and scratching up phone books.
6-year-old brothers Nikolai and Thimbu will join Nikita in The Edge as soon as they’re moved from the Zoo’s Feline Building.
The new exhibit features nearly an acre of land sprawling with 120-year-old pines trees, large pools, and bridges among other things.
At Denver Zoo, we are constantly looking for ways to support and promote our mission: to secure a better world for animals through human understanding. The Edge will do exactly that,” says Shannon Block, President/CEO of Denver Zoo.Named The Edge for its ability to let visitors see the exhibit at little more than an arm's length away, zookeepers will work with the big cats in daily demonstrations. The exhibit increases the tigers’ outside space by 50%, and will allow the tigers to walk on bridges some 12 feet above visitors’ heads.
It cost $2.2 million in Better Denver Bond funding and an immense investment of time and resources by the zoo’s in-house staff to make The Edge a reality.
The Edge is set to open on March 17, so make sure to come out and give this transplant a warm welcome!