Bashii the Sumatran tiger displays the Flehmen response to the scent of Senja the female tiger. Credit: Wellington Zoo
Love is in the air - almost.
Wellington Zoo's keepers are hoping that will become more definite though as they carry out the "complex" process to introduce and breed their critically endangered Sumatran tigers.
Zoo staff are already seeing positive signs as they gradually introduce the tigers, 10-year-old male Bashii and 7-year-old female Senja, animal care manager Jo Richardson said.
"This is quite an exciting time for us for many reasons, one of the main reasons being the plight of the Sumatran tigers in the wild," she said.
Bashii the tiger, pictured, has been showing positive and neutral behaviours as keepers slowly introduce him to Senja. Photo / Wellington Zoo
Since November the team have been doing "protected contact introductions" with the two tigers, who have separate habitats due to their solitary nature.
"This is where the tigers, they can see each other, they can hear each other, they can have semi-contact between the mesh barrier."
Keepers carefully monitor the introductions to make sure the tigers are displaying positive and neutral behaviours "until we see that we're at a stage where we can put the tigers in together".
One such behaviour is the flehmen response, where the tiger takes a scent deeply into their nasal passages through their mouths. It can look as though the tiger is grinning.
It is how tigers and many other mammals investigate and pick up the scent and pheromones of another animal's presence.
"Basically they get more intense smell from this," Richardson said.
Senja, pictured, must be gradually introduced to Bashii before breeding can happen. Photo / Wellington Zoo
Bashii was showing a great deal of interest in Senja's scent, which was a "positive sign".
They had also rubbed cheeks through the mesh fence and "chuffed" at each other, which was a form of greeting.
If keepers are feeling confident about the behaviours the tigers show towards each other, the next step will be allowing them to swap habitats. Eventually it is hoped they will reach a point where they can be fully introduced for breeding.
"The most important aspect for us is the tiger's welfare. There's no guarantee that the tigers will be introduced together. If there's anything at any point that would say to us that it wouldn't be wise to do that, then we won't introduce the tigers, because their welfare is the most important thing."
Richardson said the process to reach a breeding phase was "complex". It's been at least a few years since the zoo team last tried to introduce tigers, and never Bashii and Senja together.
There was no certainty any of this would result in tiger cubs being born, and it could be months before the tigers are fully introduced.
Senja, pictured, must be gradually introduced to Bashii before breeding can happen. Photo / Wellington Zoo
"It's amazing for people, for visitors to be able to come in and connect with these animals anyway, but to be involved in a breeding programme that is CHEK such an important role for a critically endangered animals is really important, not just to the zoo team, but for our community as well."
Things to know about Sumatran tigers
• They are found in the wild on the Indonesian island of Sumatra
