SPECIAL DELIVERY

Duo eats 10 pounds of meat daily,
bottle fed by staff nightly



CARNIVOROUS COUPLE—Above, Karma, a 6-month-old Bengal tiger, takes a drink at America’s Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College. Below, Neil, also 6 months, lounges in the shade. The pair are recent additions to the zoo. RICHARD GILLARD/Acorn Newspapers

CARNIVOROUS COUPLE—Above, Karma, a 6-month-old Bengal tiger, takes a drink at America’s Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College. Below, Neil, also 6 months, lounges in the shade. The pair are recent additions to the zoo. RICHARD GILLARD/Acorn Newspapers

The two newest ambassadors at America’s Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College may not speak English—or talk at all, for that matter—but their fuzzy faces speak volumes.

Neil and Karma, 6-month-old Bengal tiger cubs, are the latest additions to the zoo. The cubs arrived separately last month and have already forged a bond that will last a lifetime.

 

 

“We call them ambassadors for their species,” said Alisa Behar, zoo operations assistant. “They’re going to be teaching people about tigers in the wild and how great it is to conserve their wild habitats and not take them as pets.”

The lesson is especially relevant because Neil was rescued by wildlife authorities from an unlicensed facility that was closed following a federal investigation. Karma, his female companion, was a gift from a wildlife park in South Carolina.

Neil arrived at the zoo on Jan. 10, and Karma arrived a few weeks later on Jan. 27. They were introduced to each other on Jan. 28 and became fast friends.

Having a companion gives the cubs a better quality of life, Behar said.

“We don’t want them to play with (people) the same way they play with another tiger,” she said.

The cats’ names have special meanings, Behar said. The same hour the zoo’s beloved mountain lion Spirit passed away the staff learned they would be adopting a tiger cub from South Carolina, and they named her Karma after the cycle of cause and effect. Neil is named after big cat trainer and zoo staff mentor Neil Eglund, who died in late 2016.

“It’s exciting to have baby cats,” Behar said. “We haven’t had baby cats in many, many years.”

Even though the tigers are young, they’ve already developed their own personalities.

“ He is much more mellow. She’s what we like to call spunky,” Behar said.

While Neil is content to take breaks from playtime and relax, Karma prefers to explore and find new ways to play.

The cubs eat a combined 10 pounds of meat each day across three meals and are bottle-fed by staff at night. They’ve already made a huge impression on zookeepers and students in their short time on campus.

“The experience of raising cubs, for the students and for the staff, has been very exciting,” Behar said.

America’s Teaching Zoo is part of the college’s Exotic Animal Training and Management program. The two-year program has about 90 students who are assigned to care for different animals. The six students assigned to care for the cubs this semester will learn how to properly walk a big cat, safely interact with the cubs and train a tiger.

Courtney McNulty, a first-year EATM student, said the tigers offer a unique educational experience.

“It’s really amazing because if you think about it, there’s very few people in the world who get a learning experience like this, so it’s very special,” she said.

The tigers have a lot to learn too, zoo operations supervisor Michlyn Hines said. They have to be trained to step on a scale, sit still for veterinary appointments, accept injections and stay in a crate when being transported.

The cubs also have to adjust to life at a zoo.

“We’re working on getting them used to all sorts of new things, like cars driving by and people walking by, so nothing really makes them upset,” Behar said. “People come and stare at them and take their picture and they’re very happy to just hang out.”

The tigers are growing quickly. Neil weighs 91 pounds, 20 more than he did when he arrived, and Karma weighs 84 pounds. She was 73 pounds upon arrival. Staff expects the tigers to be fully grown in two or three years, with Neil expected to reach more than 600 pounds and Karma over 400.

“They won’t be this small and babylike for long, so come see them while they’re little because they’re so much fun to watch,” Hines said.

Staff plans to keep the cats, which typically live to be around 20 years old, for their entire lives but don’t expect to breed them. Because Bengal tigers are an endangered species, international organizations are selective about breeding, and Neil’s uncertain history means he cannot be bred.

The tigers split their time between two enclosures—a small, private one that zookeepers call their bedroom and a larger space in the carnivore area of the zoo where visitors can see the tigers.

Hines said the zoo will start a fundraiser in the coming months to build a larger, more naturalfeeling enclosure for all of the carnivores, including the zoo’s lions and hyena.

Zoo staff is thrilled to watch the cubs grow up and inspire visitors to protect their natural habitat.

“We haven’t had a tiger in so many years, so it’s great to have two,” Behar said.

And it’s certain the pair of big cats will give zoogoers a lot to talk about.

IN A NUTSHELL

America’s Teaching Zoo is open every weekend from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $6 for children and seniors, $8 for adults. A limited number of behind-the-scenes tours are available for $7 per guest.