Gut Aiderbichl's tigers Sandy, Floy, Tango, Roxy and Sonya
Our majesties purr a little louder than the usual domestic cats
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The Bengal tiger is massively threatened with extinction. The tigers are poached even in designated protected areas and are increasingly losing their natural habitat to humans.
Our Bengal tigers are descended from a line of tigers that have been born in circuses for many generations and are used to humans. Sandy (17 years), Floy (17 years), Tango (13 years), Roxy (9 years) and Sonya (9 years) were hand-reared by their trainer Markus and belonged to the Moscow Circus. Because of its name, the circus became a victim of the Russia-Ukraine war and visitors stayed away. The coronavirus outbreak meant that no performances were allowed – a difficult time began and the tamer set about looking for a place for his tigers. It was important to him that the big cats were kept in a place where he could visit them and maintain contact with them. Releasing the five big cats back into the wild would have meant certain death for them.
An endangered species of the Bengal tiger
In his distress, Markus turned to Gut Aiderbichl. Time was of the essence, as many European countries had already banned wild animals in circuses. Dieter Ehrengruber said “Many endangered animal species already live on the more than 30 Gut Aiderbichl estates in six different European countries. Even if the tigers may seem rather unusual for Gut Aiderbichl, every animal deserves our protection”.
An enclosure with several hectares, a pool for swimming and retreats
In Salzburg, the construction of the tiger enclosure was not authorised by the authorities. However, thanks to the generous support of a long-standing Aiderbichl supporter, the opportunity arose to house the animals in a large enclosure in Romania. “We were very lucky that a long-standing supporter of Gut Aiderbichl was able to offer us an appropriately large area in Romania. Animal lover Christian Friedl has thus fulfilled his lifelong dream. “Together with tiger experts and the local authorities, we have now managed to build a species-appropriate forever home for Sandy, Floy, Tango, Roxy and Sonya,” says Dieter Ehrengruber.
2024 – The plans were finalised and the enclosure for the five tigers Sandy, Floy, Tango, Roxy and Sonya at the Liska Animal Zoo in Romania was completed in the first half of 2024. The enclosure covers several hectares of land, offers natural climbing and hiding places and numerous resting areas.
September 2024 - Opening of the tiger enclosure at Liska Animal Zoo
The atmosphere was more than moving when the tigers walked from the circus cage into the new, spacious tiger enclosure, completely relaxed and in single file with their trainer. The five majesties immediately let us know that they felt at home.
An appropriate tiger enclosure must fulfil the needs of the big cats and require plenty of space. They must be able to fulfil their natural urge to move and offer sufficient opportunities to retreat.
Strict security systems and trained staff will monitor the lives of our large predators in future. A vet and trained animal keepers from Gut Aiderbichl will be working on site with the tigers.
Dieter Ehrengruber was beaming with joy with his new protégés – who would have thought that the move into the enclosure would go so smoothly? Moved, he said: “The situation of tigers in their countries of origin, but also in Europe, is often dramatic. We want to give the tigers a voice and keep reminding people that the problem of tigers is man-made and it is our responsibility to solve it.”</span
In spring 2025the outdoor enclosure will also be ready. We’ll report back then.
A new challenge, a new emotional project in the spirit of animal welfare will accompany Gut Aiderbichl for many years to come. The tiger enclosure at Liska Animal Zoo is open to visitors.
Gut Aiderbichl is grateful that it has been able to help and can continue to help. Our heart and our work belong to the animals – whether big or small.</span
