Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) - Animal lovers will soon be able to observe huge big cats from an underground hiding place in Stuttgart's Wilhelma. According to its own statements, the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Finance issued the building permit for a new facility for Amur tigers on Wednesday.
Amur tigers are considered to be the largest cats in the world and originate from Siberia. According to the WWF, males can grow to almost three meters in length and weigh more than 300 kilograms. Amur tigers live in Russia and China, where they feed on Siberian deer or wild boar, but are critically endangered.
In the Wilhelma they should get, among other things, an open stable with boxes and outdoor enclosures with watercourses - and the visitors an underground tunnel to the animals. A photovoltaic system is to be installed on the roof of the barn. The state is investing 3.7 million euros in the facility.
So far there have been no Amur tigers in Wilhelma. A Sumatran tigress previously lived there and died in 2021. It required a cost-intensive heating house. Now the zoo wants to switch to Amur tigers, which can live with colder temperatures.
Recently, the financially troubled Wilhelma had to postpone the construction of the elephant house again under the pressure of the energy crisis. In the 2023/2024 double budget, the state as the owner did not provide any funds for the construction of the flagship project in the state-owned zoological and botanical garden. The plan was actually to complete the "Elephant World" by 2025. The state should contribute a large part of the construction costs of around 44 million euros.
