MANILA, Philippines — Manila Zoo has received a white Siberian tiger from the Clark Safari and Adventure Park in Pampanga.
Mayor Isko Moreno paid the cub named “Kois” a visit at the newly developed zoo on Saturday night.
The tiger’s name is an anagram of the mayor’s nickname. The Siberian tiger is considered endangered, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.
Moreno thanked Clark Safari president Romy Siccion for donating the tiger to the zoo.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, a white tiger is the result of a genetic mutation often through inbreeding of tigers in captivity.
Manila Zoo has been known for breeding cubs and for housing different species of tigers, including a Royal Bengal tiger.
The zoo is also home to the lone elephant Mali for over 40 years.
Moreno has thumbed down calls to transfer the Sri Lanka-born elephant to an animal sanctuary.
In September 2018, a lion named “Rapee” figured in a viral video that showed him having seizures in his cage at the Manila Zoo, prompting calls from animal rights groups for better care of the animals.
The zoo was shut down in 2019 for dumping untreated waste sewage water in Manila Bay.