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Tiger cubs Akira and Ozo settle in at Knowsley Safari

Knowsley Safari's two Amur tiger cubs, born to mum Yuki, are now ten times their birth size and out exploring. Here's what to know and how to see them.

Environment
An Amur tiger cub (illustrative; not Knowsley Safari's own cubs)
Photo: Derek Ramsey / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Knowsley Safari’s two Amur tiger cubs are growing fast. Akira, a female, and Ozo, a male, were born to the park’s six-year-old tigress Yuki in July last year, and are now about ten times the size they were at birth, the park says.

Both cubs have passed their veterinary checks and finished their inoculations, and have started to explore their habitat — climbing on logs and playing in shallow streams.

“The male cub Ozo was a little braver and first to leave the cubbing den,” said Pete Johnson, the park’s animal team manager for carnivores. The park says Yuki is comfortable letting the cubs roam while visitors watch. It has shared more about the pair, including how they got their names, on its tiger cubs blog.

Amur tigers are among the rarest big cats in the world, so each birth matters for the conservation breeding programmes that parks like Knowsley take part in.

The cubs are not the only new faces. A male blesbok named Marine has joined a female, Blondie, in the Africa section of the safari drive.

Planning a visit

The park is open every day, with the safari park open 10am–5pm and the safari drive running 10am–4pm; last entry to the drive is 4pm (opening times).

Tickets are cheaper booked in advance online than on the day. Booking ahead, an adult ticket (16+) is £24.75, children aged 3–15 and over-65s are £22.50, toddlers aged 1–2 are £2.50 and under-ones go free. On-the-day prices rise to £27.50 for adults and £25 for children and over-65s. You can book on the Knowsley Safari tickets page.

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