Tiger Brothers Join New Habitat At Detroit Zoo

(CBS DETROIT) - The Detroit Zoo will introduce its new Devereaux Tiger Forest and welcome Amur tigers Nikolai and Aleksei during "opening day" Sept. 13.

The tigers are 2-year-old brothers who were born at the Columbus Zoo.

The habitat is also home to 16-year-old female Kisa, who was born at the Detroit Zoo. The renovated and expanded habitat was made possible in part by a $1-million gift from the Richard C. Devereaux Foundation.

"We have no doubt the Devereaux Tiger Forest will be very popular with visitors, especially with the incredible vantage points, and we're sure the tigers will enjoy their new digs with more room to prowl and play," said Ron Kagan, executive director and CEO for the Detroit Zoological Society (DZS).

The Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica), formerly known as the Siberian tiger, is the largest member of the big cat family and the largest of the five remaining subspecies of tiger. On average, they can grow to 10 feet long and 3 to 4 feet tall at the shoulder and weigh up to 650 pounds. Nikolai currently weighs 365 pounds; Aleksei tips the scales at 335 pounds.

The Amur tiger is listed as Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature; it is estimated there are only around 500 remaining in the wild due to threats such as poaching, habitat loss and disease.

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