West Midland Safari Park has introduced Sumatran Tiger to their

extensive collection of rare and endangered species.

The five-year old female tiger arrived at the Park from Arnhem in

Holland and is now in quarantine. She is called 'Hujan' meaning rain in

one of the dialects spoken in her native Indonesia, as on the day of

her birth there were torrential storms.

Despite her name, Hujan arrived at the Park during one of the summer's

finest weeks, with very little rain forecast. The outlook is indeed

rather sunny for this critically endangered tiger, as during the next

few months she is also to be joined by a two-year male from Dublin, who

is known as 'Emas' - an Indonesian name meaning golden.

The long-term plan is for the pair to breed and to help secure the

future of this seriously rare species of which it is thought, there are

no more than 400 left in the wild today. This presents a real

possibility of them facing extinction by the end of the decade.

Director of Wildlife, Bob Lawrence, said "Whilst we all prefer to know

that the Sumatran tiger still exists in their natural environment where

they rightly belong, captive specimens are a vital safeguard in

ensuring their continuing existence. They act as ambassadors for their

kind in raising general awareness of their plight, by helping to

maintain the essential political pressure required to protect their

native habitats. West Midland Safari Park is delighted to become part

of the international effort by zoos to save the Sumatran tiger".

During the whole of August Hujan can be seen in the 4-mile, 160-acre

drive-through safari up 7.00pm as the Park hosts its Summer Nights

season.

The standard admission charge for adults is £13.99 and £11.99 for

children. A family saver ticket costs £46.76, which admits two adults

and two children and offers a 10% saving on standard admission prices.

Admission prices also include a free return ticket. Amusement rides are

charged extra in all cases. Further information is available from the

Park's official website www.wmsp.co.uk or by telephone 01299 402114.