March roars into Racine Zoo with new tiger and snow leopard

By Dustin Block

Friday, March 3, 2006 2:07 AM CST

RACINE - March roared in for the Racine Zoo this week - literally - with the unveiling of two new large cats.

The zoo will be the home to a new male Amur tiger and female snow leopard. Both arrived in February.

Kolmya, a male Amur tiger, from the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago arrived first.

He was born at the Indianapolis Zoo on Oct. 7, 1998, before heading to Lincoln Park. He is recommended to breed with the Zoo's female Amur tiger, Niki, and the Zoo hopes to have the two big cats on exhibit together by

mid-summer.

During the spring, Kolmya and Niki will rotate exhibit time. In December, Tiara, Niki's sister, was moved to Brookfield Zoo under a breeding arrangement. Niki and Tiara arrived at the Racine Zoo in 2001.

The new snow leopard arrived came less than a week after the tiger. Kumari, a female snow leopard, arrived from the Rolling Hills Zoo in Salina, Kan. She was born at the Rolling Hills on April 22, 2004. Kumari will join the Zoo's current snow leopard, Milo, who has been at the Zoo since 2004, and they can be seen on exhibit individually beginning in late March.

Kumari is playing an important role in ensuring the survival of her species through the Species Survival Plan, which is is a conservation program for selected, and often endangered, species of animals.

Kumari comes to the Racine Zoo with a potentially fatal disease. She is too young and won't be ready to breed for a couple of years.

"As the Racine Zoo supports the SSP and all of its directives, we are eager to participate and quickly agreed to step up to the challenge of attempting to breed this majestic and highly endangered animal," said Eric Hileman, director of conservation, education, and animal welfare for the Racine Zoological Society. "Therefore, when Kumari was diagnosed with veno-occlusive disease, a disease that causes a blockage of the small veins in the liver, our commitment did not

waiver."

The Racine Zoo is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with the last admission at 4 p.m.

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