PRESS ROOM

ROYAL OAK, Mich., 

Tiger enthusiasts will be turning their attention north of the ballpark on Sunday, July 29, as the Detroit Zoological Society (DZS) celebrates International Tiger Day at the Detroit Zoo. Special activities will focus on these iconic creatures, conservation efforts to protect them in the wild and the ongoing transformation of the Zoo’s tiger habitat.

“Tiger populations have plummeted in the last century,” said Scott Carter, DZS chief life sciences officer. “As part of our mission of celebrating and saving wildlife, events like these give us the opportunity to do both – educate our guests about the threats against tigers in the wild and honor these extraordinary animals.”

Part of the DZS’s commitment to tigers is for the care and well-being of the individuals who live at the Detroit Zoo. Talks will be held at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., providing an overview of the construction of the Devereaux Tiger Forest, which will triple the space available for the animals, incorporate additional natural elements to enhance their well-being and create an exciting experience for guests. Zookeeper talks will be held at 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., sharing fun facts about tigers and their behaviors. Conservation education activities will take place throughout the day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., allowing visitors to identify tigers in trail camera images and analyze their tracks.

The Detroit Zoo is home to Kisa, an Amur tiger – the largest of not only the nine subspecies of tigers, but the entire cat family. Also known as a Siberian tiger, Amurs are found primarily in eastern Russia, but also in China and North Korea, and they are well-adapted for Michigan winters.

Fewer than 4,000 tigers exist in the wild today – down from 100,000 in the early 1900s – and they inhabit only 7 percent of their former range. They are listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature due to poaching, habitat loss and retaliatory killings due to conflicts with humans over livestock.