Highland Wildlife Park gets round weighty tiger problem!

Marty the tiger is feeling grrrrr-eat after finding out that he is not carrying any extra pounds! .

For most of us, the idea of jumping on the scales at Christmas is as popular as jumping on hot coals.

But for Marty, the adult male Amur tiger at Kincraig’s Highland Wildlife Park, it meant a chance for some extra special treats.

Una Richardson, head carnivores keeper at the attraction, explained how they went about weighing a rare male Amur tiger today.

She said: "The best way to ensure accuracy was to position the heavy duty portable scales inside one of the mesh tunnels that lead from the tigers’ indoor dens to their 1.7 acre outdoor enclosure.

"Once they had been calibrated, Marty was encouraged onto the scales with some raw meat treats while his mate Dominika and their two cubs Murray and Viktor watched on. The cubs in particular seemed to love watching dad get weighed!"

The big boy weighs an impressive 187 kilograms (412 pounds) – 31 kilograms (68 pounds) heavier than when he was weighed in April last year.

At only four-years-old, Marty still has a bit more growing to do, with some male Amur tigers known to reach 300 kilograms.

Eager to not be left out, six-month-old Murray and Viktor each wanted a turn on the scales and weighed in at 45 kilograms (99 pounds) each – only a quarter of their father’s weight!

The pair have been growing rapidly since their birth at the park in May this year and are at the moment roughly the size of a Labrador.

Regular weigh-ins are an important part of the park’s animal husbandry routines as it allows keepers to ensure any medication dosage is accurate.

It also allows the keepers to track his weight and adjust his diet if necessary.

Una said: "Marty is due to have a minor dental procedure in the coming weeks and knowing his weight is crucial to ensure the vets are able to use the correct level of anaesthetic during the procedure. This will also help with any antibiotics that may be needed afterwards."

TIGER FACTS:

The Amur tiger is the biggest subspecies of tiger and the largest of the big cats.

The species is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List with as few as 350 individuals remaining in the wild.

Once called Siberian tigers, they were renamed in the 1990s as the wild population is now found only around the Amur River valley in the far east of Russia and China’s north-east border.

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