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Happy birthday! Zoo Knoxville's tiger, Batari, turns 10 years old

On Friday, the zoo celebrated Batari's birthday by making her a special deer filled with hidden treats.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Zoo Knoxville celebrated a special birthday on Friday. Batari, a Malaysian tiger, turned 10 years old. Staff at the zoo celebrated her birthday by making her a deer out of cardboard, bamboo and crafts and filling it with special treats.

"Enrichment is important to our animals especially when it comes to their species' specific behaviors," the zoo said on social media. "It's an honor to celebrate Batari and we hope to continue celebrating her species surviving and thriving for years to come."

The zoo said there are only around 200 Malaysian tigers in the world. She was also given a birthday cake specially made for her unique and carnivorous diet.

"It keeps them active, it keeps them mentally and physically healthy. It's very important that we do all these things for them so that they have the best life possible. And, that's our goal as zookeepers and as a zoo is to make sure all the animals we have here are happy, healthy and comfortable," said Paityn Glass, a team member at the zoo.

Happy 10th Birthday Batari!

Batari turned 10 today and got some special enrichment! Batari's keepers made her a deer with some hidden treats. Enrichment is important to our animals especially when it comes to their species specific behaviors. Batari is a Malayan tiger and her species population around the world is below 200 tigers. It's an honor to celebrate Batari and we hope to continue celebrating her species surviving and thriving for years to come.🎂🐅

Posted by Zoo Knoxville on Friday, January 5, 2024

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