Puna was born in a litter of two at Tiergarten Heidelberg Zoo to first time mother, Julieta who did not adapt to being a mother so well. She did allow Puna to feed for the first five days, the cub was mostly seen laying alone in the den. It was when Puna’s eyes opened at 5 days she took herself out of the den and into an area where she fell through the bars directly into the visitors area.
She was found by keeping staff the following morning. Remarkably she was alive and well, just cold. It was decided the best chance of survival for this little fighter was to be bottle-fed. After a very short time she was put in the enclosure next to her father’s to allow them to bond. Puna spent time with a dog as company in her early days, she grew into a healthy, stunning tigress.
She was a fantastic mum in 2008 when she had her first litter of two boys with breeding partner Nias, and again in 2011. She is now a grandmother, she is now enjoying life in the slow lane after being such an incredible ambassador for her species. We couldn’t be prouder of this amazing big cat!
