Year of no concern for the tiger?

Letter from Natalie Cook, Today Online 12 Feb 10;

I am disheartened at how Singapore is celebrating the Year of the Tiger.

Instead of highlighting how threatened the tiger is as a species, there are actions and pictures showing a complete disregard for their well-being.

The Singapore Zoo is showing its training methods by placing the tiger in a small cage so that people can walk past and take pictures of them.

On the cover of a local magazine, a celebrity is draped in a tiger skin.

Why can't we celebrate this beautiful and threatened animal by ensuring that their welfare is our main concern?

How many tigers, if any, will be left in the next Year of the Tiger if we keep on treating them the way we do now?

Singapore Zoo lets visitors get closer to white tigers
Evelyn Choo, Channel NewsAsia 9 Feb 10;

SINGAPORE: Remember the white tigers that made the headlines when a man went into their enclosure and got mauled to death at the zoo?

One year on, the Singapore Zoo is asking visitors to get to know these very same tigers.

For the first time to mark the Year of the Tiger, visitors will get the opportunity to go behind the scene to see how the white tigers are trained using operant conditioning to provide mental and behavioural stimulation for the animals.

Meet Omar - a 10-year-old Bengal tiger who resides at the Singapore Zoo. He is taught to respond correctly to stimulants and gets rewarded with a meaty treat.

Francis Lim, curator at Singapore Zoo, said: "In the past, we had to sedate the animal - that means we have to knock the animal down, let them sleep so we can do a close examination. But with this operant conditioning, we don't have to do that. It's safe for the animal, it doesn't compromise the animal's health."

For the zookeepers, it is part of a bond that has been built over seven years.

Mohamed Nasir, zookeeper at Singapore Zoo, said: "There was one time when Omar was really ill. He was really, really down because of his kidney. He was really sick, and you can really feel the pain.

"He is like our family member. Omar is a bit bossy since he is the only male here. And like a typical male he has this ego in him. And he always has to be the first one."

For S$28, visitors can witness this intimate session, but they have to stay behind the line and keep their voices down.

For the less adventurous, visitors can take a peek at what the rest of the animal kingdom are up to this Lunar New Year season. - CNA/de