Move over “Tiger” Tim Henman: these two youngsters made a racket when they saw their first birthday present yesterday.
For the Highland Wildlife Park’s two Amur tiger cubs were served up an ace tennis-themed treat.
Keepers at the Kincraig park hung strawberry pinatas in the tiger enclosure for young Murray and Viktor, who were named in homage to Scottish tennis star Andy Murray’s historic victory at Wimbledon.
They were filled with bison-scented straw and small pieces of meat.
Along with their parents Dominika and Marty, they smashed into the pinatas devouring them in record time.
The park experienced its highest number of visitors ever last year after the two cubs were born on May 29 last year.
Una Richardson, head carnivore keeper for Highland Wildlife Park, said: “Our tigers love to climb and jump and we often hang food from branches to help encourage this behaviour, so we are sure the cubs will have loads of fun ripping into their strawberries.
“They also act as great ambassadors for conservation, providing us with the opportunity to tell visitors about the threats faced by their wild counterparts, the efforts being made to save tigers from extinction and draw comparisons with the equally threatened Scottish wildcat.”
Amur tigers, the largest member of the cat family, are listed as endangered, with approximately 350-450 individuals left in the wild.
More than 75% of tiger deaths in the wild are directly attributable to humans, mainly due to poaching that supports the traditional medicine trade. Increasingly, disease from domestic dogs is also negatively impacting the population.