Mariette ( Etta )
Creature Feature for Winter
Winter winds have arrived at the Zoo . For many animals , a chill in the air means it ’ s time to head indoors to warm , heated bedrooms and have a nice long nap . Some species , like those in the Islands and HerpAquarium , have climate-controlled , closed environments , so season changes are negligible . Then , there are the animals at the Zoo that are right at home when the temperature drops . Let ’ s get acquainted with a few of the animal ambassadors that you may see during cold months at the Louisville Zoo indoors and outdoors !
Mariette ( Etta )
“ The Princess ”
Our 13-year-old Amur tiger , Mariette ( affectionately referred to by her keepers as “ Etta ”), came to the Louisville Zoo in 2008 . She was
born at the Denver Zoo and stayed at Wisconsin ’ s Henry Vilas Zoo for a time . When she arrived at the Louisville Zoo , she had gained a reputation for being prickly with a difficult personality .
As it turned out , Etta just needed a keeper staff with lots of patience and consistency . With multiple teams from different areas working together , keepers were able to gain Etta ' s trust and help her adjust . Once she was comfortable with her surroundings , Etta quickly began to demonstrate how clever she is . “ Behaviors that take other tigers days to learn , Etta can learn in only one or two sessions ,” keeper Sam Clites explained . “ Etta was even trained how to present either her right or left shoulder for vaccination . She knows the difference and will show us the correct side depending on which word we say .”
For Etta , a dedicated team enabled her to transform into a very well-adjusted cat ! Her keepers say she ’ s still quite the princess and has no qualms vocalizing exactly what she wants . She sounds off when she ’ s not ready for training to end or for her keepers to depart . Tiger Tundra is Etta ’ s domain and anyone else is simply permitted to visit under her jurisdiction . “ The first thing Etta does when she goes outside is patrol and mark her territory ,” Sam said . “ She ’ s a very serious tiger .”
When Etta isn ’ t protecting her territory , she likes to tear up boxes . During winter , she enjoys sitting in the snow . Louisville winters would probably be laughable to Etta — if she had a sense of humor . Amur tigers are accustomed to temperatures of negative thirty degrees in their home range of Russia . In fact , the Amur tiger was also known as the Siberian tiger . This name was changed to more accurately reflect the region in which they are found . Siberia covers 75 percent of Russia , but the tigers are only found near the Amur River . There are approximately 562 Amur tigers left in the world ; the species is endangered and in decline . Find out how to help this beautiful species by visiting wcs . org / support .
4 • Louisville Zoo Trunkline • Winter 2016