Scottish wildcats: Cameras capture endangered Amur tigers snuggling up together for first time

Botzman and Dominika were carefully introduced to each other in November at Highland Wildlife Park, in the Cairngorms, but were not brought together until last week.

Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) staff watched on as the endangered pair snuggled up in their snowy surroundings.

Dominika was seen in the snow rolling on her back, which keepers have identified as an important behavioural cue that the pair are interested in each other.

Botzman only arrived in October and now the pair will remain together during days when she is in season.

It is hoped the pair will go on to have cubs.

Only 500 of the creatures, previously known as Siberian tigers, are left in the wild and they were renamed in the 1990s due to their disappearance from the region.

A message from the Editor:

Amur tigers Botzman and Dominika at Highlands Wildlife Park.

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.