Baja is our resident Siberian tiger here at Destiny Big Cat Sanctuary. The first thing you can't help but notice about Baja is his size. Being a Siberian tiger he is of course large, but Baja is even big for a Siberian weighing over 800 lbs. As well as being our largest cat, Baja is our oldest cat, being born on 12/30/96. Each cat here has different personality traits and the one that sticks out the most with Baja is his playfulness. Just as a child will pile toys in the bathtub to play, Baja will take every toy he can find into his pool so he can have fun in the water. He is also what you might call a bit of a show off, and loves to be the center of attention. Whether it's running across the habitat and jumping in and out of the pool or taking his Rubbermaid garbage can and tossing it around, he always manages to get our visitors attention.

About Siberian Tigers

The Siberian tiger (also known as the Amur, Manchuria, or Korean tiger) is the largest of the world's cats. In the wild, the large cat can weigh up to 650 lbs, while those in captivity may reach an even greater weight. The scientific name for the Siberian tiger is Panthera Tigris Altaica. The tiger is one of the four roaring cats, which also includes the lion, jaguar and leopard.

The Siberian tiger is believed to the subspecies from which all original eight subspecies derived. Today they are found mainly in Eastern Russia as well as in parts of Korea and China. Their primary habitat is taiga or temperate woodland from sea level up to 3,000 feet. In the wild they will prey upon animals such as the Red Deer, Asian Goral and Wild Boar.

You can see a Siberian tiger in many of our zoos today; however, the population in the wild is estimated at 200 to 300 which makes the Siberian tiger endangered. The numbers are so low due to the destruction of their natural habitat for things such as lumber. Tiger body parts are also a sought after resource for Chinese and Korean medicine which makes them a valuable commodity for poaching.