Amur Tiger Tschuna, recovering well after delicate operation
Big cat Tschuna, a rare Amur Tiger at YWP, is padding around freely after a delicate operation to remove a troublesome ingrown toenail.
29 May 2025
The veterinary team at the award-winning Yorkshire Wildlife Park administered a short-lasting local anaesthetic to ease the procedure on the 15-year-old, who weighs around 110kg.
The short operation, which took less than 15 minutes, involved vets gently clipping off a rogue claw on Tschuna’s front left paw to eradicate the risk of infection and remove the discomfort and she is recovering well.
“Tiger anaesthetics are particularly tricky, so it was a quick procedure to ensure everyone involved, including Tschuna, was safe,” said Dr Charlotte MacDonald, Director of Animals at the park at Auckley, near Doncaster.
“Tschuna came back round relatively quickly and should have a speedy recovery, though she probably has a bit of a headache from the anaesthetic. We’re keeping her in the house at first to recover fully and then she’ll hopefully be back to her playful-self again very quickly.
Tschuna arrived at the park in 2013 as part of an international breeding programmed to help support the species, also known as Siberian Tigers, which came close to extinction as its numbers dwindled to around 30.
Global conservation efforts, including those spearheaded by the Yorkshire Wildlife Park and the WildLife Foundation, a charity based at the park, which included supporting a rescue and rehabilitation centre in Russia, have helped wild Amur populations recover to an estimated 450-500.
Tschuna gave birth to three cubs at the park in 2015 - one of them, Hector, has become a father at Cleveland Zoo, in the US - and it is hoped she will partner with three-year-old male Altai, who arrived at the park earlier this year, to produce more cubs as part of the European Endangered Species Programme.
“It will take time to see if Tschuna and Altai will hit if off but fingers crossed as it would be lovely to see another Amur tiger family at the Park,” added Dr Macdonald.
Visitors can see Tschuna and Altai from a 300-metre-long raised walkway in the ‘Land of the Tigers’, a woodland and grassland sanctuary, as part of the UK’s No 1 walkthrough wildlife experience.
A visit to the Yorkshire Wildlife Park is a unique experience to see some of the world’s most threatened species, including Black Rhinos, Polar Bears, Giraffes, and African Painted Dogs, and the resort also features a hotel, shopping and dining.