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Jackie Stone has worked with animals for 15 years, as the Philly zoo\u2019s director of carnivores for just six months. (Davis Cuffe\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\nIf you\u2019ve ever run into the child of an old friend, you know how Jackie Stone feels these days.<\/p>\n
Stone is the director of carnivores at the Philadelphia Zoo \u2014 and the \u201cchild of a friend\u201d isn\u2019t human.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s one of two big cats that arrived recently at the zoo \u2014 Rory, a 4-year-old Amur tiger. Stone cared for Rory\u2019s father when she worked in Michigan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The odds of this meeting are exceedingly low. There are only around 300 living Amur tigers in the world.<\/p>\n
In fact, Rory and the other addition, an Amur leopard, are both critically endangered and now on exhibit at the zoo, offering a rare glimpse at two of the world\u2019s most elusive big cats.<\/p>\n
Stone feels fortunate.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmur tigers are my favorite to work with. I feel like they have such big personalities, so I was pretty jazzed about it,\u201d Stone said. \u201cRory has a little bit of fire to her, like her father, so that\u2019s been fun to see.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jackie Stone has worked with animals for 15 years, as the Philly zoo\u2019s director of carnivores for just six months. (Davis Cuffe\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\n
Rory and her transplant partner, Rafferty, an 8-year-old female leopard, arrived at the zoo via a breeding recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums\u2019 Species Survival Plan Program<\/a>. The program seeks to protect endangered species, like Amur leopards, which are estimated to have a population of less than 150, from extinction.<\/p>\n Rafferty, whose name translates to \u201cone who possesses prosperity,\u201d gave birth to a litter while at Utah\u2019s Hogle Zoo. Rory was previously at the Toledo Zoo before moving out to Philly.\u00a0<\/p>\n Both species are native to Russia and Northern China, where poaching, habitat loss and reduced genetic diversity have made them endangered.<\/p>\n \u201cTiger Love Island\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Once the two cats fully acclimate to their new habitats, the breeding process will begin. Rafferty will be paired with Kira, an 11-year-old Amur leopard also at the zoo. Rory has more choice in the matter, as the zoo has two other male Amur tigers, Wiz and Dimitri.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Rory (seen here) and Rafferty both eat almost exclusively red meat. No cheesesteaks, despite their new home in Philly. (Davis Cuffe\/Billy Penn)<\/p>\n