that's fate had been anything but certain.
Two Bengal tigers - donated by the Conservators' Center in North
Carolina - have arrived at the refurbished Baghdad Zoo. The cubs are
around 2 years old, weighing around 150 pounds each, and are among an
estimated 3,000 of their kind in the world.
During and after the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, the zoo lost most of
its animals to violence or starvation; its previous tiger was shot when
it reportedly began attacking a U.S. soldier.
Now the zoo has nearly 800 animals in 62 exhibits, officials said. The
facility gets about 10,000 visitors on the weekends - Friday and
Saturday in Iraq - and around 2,000 to 3,000 on weekdays.
The tigers, named Hope and Riley, are expected to boost those numbers.
The animals were transported from the U.S. by the military, with the 2nd
Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 101st Airborne Division in charge of
the curious task. The $66,000 transport-and-care bill was paid for by
the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, officials said.
The zoo is in what is now a safe part of Baghdad and has 24-hour
security inside and outside its gates.
N.C. group donates big cats to Iraq
Stars and Stripes
August 13, 2008
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