The
Big Roar is Back at
BREC’s
Baton Rouge Zoo
The
Baton Rouge Zoo’s latest exhibit
Realm of
the Tiger
will have its grand
opening on April 17, 2010.
The
exhibit features tigers, Siamang gibbons, a walk-through aviary with Asian
birds, plus a Koi pond and rock garden. This wide variety of wildlife is set
among tall bamboo lining meandering rock walkways that adds to the exotic
atmosphere.
One of the three Malayan tigers featured in the Realm of the Tiger exhibit at BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo.
“Quite
frankly tigers are in trouble, and we know tigers will need our help if they
are to survive,” says Phil Frost, BREC’s director of the Baton Rouge Zoo.
“It is our goal to help raise awareness of the threats to tigers; help raise
funds for tiger conservation; and raise awareness of the important role zoos
play in international tiger conservation.”
As
the world’s largest living cat, the tiger’s strength and ferocity are no match
for the challenges it faces. From a population of around 100,000
tigers across the entire Asian range in 1900, their numbers have fallen to as
few as 5,000 by some estimates. There are less than 500 Malayan tigers
left in the wild.
A Demoiselle Crane- one of the eight species of birds in the Realm of the Tiger exhibit.
Frost
explained that a crucial part of helping the planet’s wildlife and wild places
is education. “Realm of the Tiger offers the zoo outstanding opportunities
to focus attention on conservation of these endangered species,” he said. “The closer we can bring
people in urban areas to understanding the exhibit’s animals, the more they may
empathize and care about saving them.”