The tiger has always been one of my favorite wild animals and I love seeing them when I visit the zoo. Most of the time when I visit the zoo, they are either in a spot that is hard to view or they are sleeping. Saturday, I got a sweet surprise as I walked up to the tiger viewing area.
Seeing the Malayan Tiger, Bashir, sitting there, as if he was posing for me, what a treat! Thankfully I had my camera ready and I was able to snap 5 shots (all keepers) before he decided he was ready to get out of the water and move to a more secluded spot. I was thrilled! The photos aren’t perfect, as I’m sure I moved a little due to excitement and I had to take the photos through some glass (but better than fencing, right?)
Bashir, as I stated above, is a Malayan Tiger. He now resides at the Jacksonville Zoo in Jacksonville, Florida. He is 13 years old and recently came to our zoo from another accredited zoo.
The current estimate is 150 or less Malayan Tigers left in the wild. The Jacksonville Zoo plans for Bashir to breed with a Malayan female at the zoo, Cinta, but they have not yet been introduced. Cinta previously had cubs at another accredited zoo.
The Jacksonville Zoo was founded in 1914. It is a nonprofit zoo that has about 2,000 rare and exotic animals, now including two Malayan tigers and two Sumatran tigers. The zoo also has 1,000 species of plants … Northeast Florida’s largest botanical garden. I will share some flower photos in another blog post!
All photos taken by me, please do not share or print without permission.
To see more photos, follow me on Instagram. Click here to learn more about the Jacksonville Zoo. Have a great week! 🐅
My Florida Life 