Knowsley Safari launches fundraising campaign to help protect the future of Amur Tigers

If you watched last night’s Secret Life of the Safari Park at episode on Channel 4 about Knowsley Safari, then you’ll know how important conservation around the future of Amur Tigers is.

Coinciding with this week’s edition of the show, Knowsley Safari has partnered with Wildcats Conservation Alliance to launch a fundraising campaign, Roar For Amur, to help protect the future of Amur tigers in their native habitat of China.

Narrated by Maxine Peake, this week’s episode featured Amur tigers Miron and Sinda, who’ve been part of a vital European Breeding Programme^[1]. There are around 500 of the endangered species left in the wild today, with efforts being made to encourage breeding to help preserve the population and protect the future of the Amur tiger.

Sadly, the documentary follows the carefully planned introduction of female Amur tiger Sinda to male mating companion Miron, which leads to fatal injury for the female – a common occurrence during mating of the species in the wild. This leaves the animal team deeply upset, who had grown to know Sinda since her arrival at Knowsley Safari in 2010.  

Knowsley Safari hopes its Roar for Amur three-year fundraising campaign will raise awareness of the plight of the Amur tiger and herald the importance of protecting this charismatic species, which remains under threat due to poaching, declining prey populations and habitat loss caused by logging.

Nikki Burton-Mallott Head of Learning and Discovery & Research and Conservation, Knowsley Safari, says:

“Despite the Amur tiger population increasing slightly over the last few years, these beautiful cats are still heavily under threat in the wild. By supporting the Wildcat Conservation Alliance, we can help fund vital population monitoring, education programmes and patrols. This week’s Secret Life of the Safari Park episode is perfectly timed to raise awareness of the dangers these majestic big cats face.

“A great deal of specialist planning, time and care goes into big cat mating. Unfortunately, due to natural animal instincts, it also carries a very high risk. It was really important to cover this in the episode, as it helps create a deeper understanding of how significant breeding efforts are for the longevity of such an endangered species.”

Visitors to Knowsley Safari can support the Roar for Amur campaign on site by using the donation stations and everyone can support by donating online: www.knowsleysafariexperience.co.uk/conservation/roar-for-amur.

The second episode of Secret Life of the Safari Park is now available to watch on demand via Channel 4 streaming. 

For further information about Sinda and the content of tonight’s episode, viewers can visit this page on the Knowsley Safari website. To stay updated about future Secret Life of the Safari Park episodes and for further information about Knowsley Safari please visit knowsleysafari.co.uk and follow @KnowsleySafari on Facebook, X and Instagram.

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