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Tygerburger - Twins receive tigers as a christmas gift
Two furry felines at the Tygerberg Zoo have received a welcome Christmas present.
The Brugman family of Alluvia Wine Estate, situated in the beautiful Banhoek Valley outside Stellenbosch, have recently adopted Tygerberg Zoo’s two Bengal tigers, Tigger and Ranie. On a recent visit to the zoo, twenty-two month old twins, Ilse and Karla Brugman, immediately fell in love with the tigers. According to their mother Sandie, it was love at first sight. “All that they could say on their way home from the zoo was “tiger, tiger”. The twins love animals and the two tigers definitely made a lasting impression. It was for this reason that my husband, Delarey and myself decided to adopt the two cats,” says Sandie.
The brain-child of zoo director John Spence, the “Adopt-an-Animal” initiative was first implemented almost ten years ago. The Tygerberg Zoo currently has approximately 1500 animals, including mammals, birds and reptiles. According to Spence, the zoo does not receive any government funding and depends heavily on the funds raised by the adoption scheme. “The monies raised through this project assist with the cost of feeding and caring for all the animals at the zoo. To date only 30 animals have been adopted. We are also very short-staffed and don’t have the necessary personnel to launch other fundraising efforts,” mentions Spence.
For the adoption programme, the animals are divided into four groups namely Common Species, Vulnerable Species, Rare/Endangered Species and Endangered Species. “Foster parents” are required to pay a certain amount depending on the category in which the animal falls. The adoption period is valid for one year, after which the foster parents are given the first option to renew the adoption. If the animal happens to give birth during the adoption period, foster parents are also give first option on adopting the youngsters.
According to Lorraine Spence, assistant managing trustee at the zoo, this is the first time that four-year-old Tigger and three-year-old Ranie have been adopted. “We are absolutely delighted with the adoption of the tigers as we are hoping to breed with them in the near future”, says Lorraine.
Delarey Brugman has already stated that Alluvia wine estate will adopt any offspring produced by the tigers. “I am, however, hoping that Ranie will one day give birth to twin female cubs, as I would love to name them after my two little princesses Ilse and Karla,” mentions Brugman.
