A Siberian tiger couple from Russia is setting into their new home at the Seoul Grand Park in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province.
They were donated by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as promised during President Lee Myung-bak’s visit to Moscow last September. Seoul previously requested Russia to donate Siberian tigers in an effort to prevent the genetic isolation of the endangered animals.
The one-year-old tigers arrived at Incheon International Airport on Saturday and were immediately transferred to the park.
After quarantine and other health checkup procedures, they will be shown to visitors to the park as early as late this month, a park official said.
“The female one seemed shy and a little bit depressed, while the male snarled aggressively when they first arrived at the park, but they seem fine in general,” the official said.
Tigers, which had widely inhabited the Korean Peninsula until the early 20th century, are presently on the list of critically endangered species due to poaching and habitat destruction.