Tiger kills prospective mate at Blijdorp Zoo

Geram and Nonja were supposed to live together as a tiger couple and provide for offspring at Blijdorp Zoo in Rotterdam. But on their first meeting, the male reacted aggressively and fatally injured the tigress Nonja.

On Thursday, September 5, the zoo staff had high hopes that the two tigers would mate. The tigress Nonja showed clear signs of being in heat, making it the ideal time to introduce her to the male tiger Geram. However, the first meeting was not without difficulties and ended in a fight. One day later, it turned out that tigress Nonja had died from the injuries she had sustained.

In the morning, the zookeepers found the nine-year-old female lifeless in her enclosure. In addition to some superficial injuries, further examination revealed that the tigress had a hemorrhage in her lungs. Most likely caused by a fang of the male.

When the encounter degenerated into a fight on Thursday, the zookeepers did everything they could to separate the two animals. According to the zoo, they finally succeeded, but the injuries were already too great before they could help Nonja.

In general, bringing big tigers together is never considered safe, especially for solitary animals like the Sumatran tiger. For this reason, the time when a pair of tigers meet must always be chosen carefully, and a great deal of preparation is required beforehand.