Dublin Zoo’s big cat family has a new addition this week, as Ussuri, the two-year-old Amur tiger joins the family
On Monday, the tiger joined Zeya and Shilka, two 11-year-old sisters, in an area of the zoo which recreates the tiger's natural Arctic habitat.
The Amur tiger, which is the biggest breed of tiger in the world, is mesmerising visitors, according to the zoo's big cats team leader Ciaran McMahon.
"Ussuri is a remarkable cat. He weighs about 250 kilos, to put his impressive size into context, his paws are about one and half times larger than that of an adult male," he said.
"Ussuri is settling in well and has already established his dominance among the females in the habitat. He possesses the usual characteristics you would attribute to big cats including strength, power and prowess. However he is also quite a laid back and grounded tiger."
Amur tigers are found primarily in the Amur River region on the border between Russia and China. There are only an estimated 300 to 400 Amur tigers living in the wild due to hunting and forest destruction.