Asian Forest Exhibit Features Amur (Siberian) Tigers

It was a hot day at the Pittsburgh Zoo when Dusty Shutt managed to photograph a 6 month old  Amur Tiger cub wrestling with her mother in the Asian Forest Exhibit.

Dusty is well known for her skill at photographing wildlife at play and her shots of these captivating Amur Tigers  (Panthera tigris altaica), also known as Siberian Tigers shows why. Her ability to catch the big cats at just the right moment takes dedication, patience and a keen eye as her extensive collection of tiger photographs for sale demonstrates.

If you want to see the  Siberian tigers cuddling together, as the mother and child in Dusty’s photo above shows or just playing around, the Pittsburgh Zoo offers a special Facebook Fan Night for visitors.  Social media followers will have the Zoo all to themselves with behind the scenes visits with the tiger cubs and giraffes.

There will also be opportunities for free photos with an elephant, and at night’s end, watch one or both of the polar bears to go for a swim.

The FAQ from the Pittsburgh Zoo for Facebook Fan Night says:

Will I get to pet the tiger cubs?
Definitely not. Though only 8 months old, our cubs have extremely sharp teeth and claws. It’s no longer safe for our keepers to be in an area with them, much less visitors. But you will have access to a behind the scenes area where you will get to see them up close and take pictures.

Do I need to bring a camera?
If you want a photo with the elephant, you must bring your own camera. Normally elephant photos are $10. On Facebook Fan Night, they’re free.

Will the polar bear definitely be in the water?
While we can’t force him to go for a swim, he almost always goes in when there is fish in the water.

For more information about this and other truly special events at the Pittsburgh Zoo, check out their blog.

For more of Dusty’s collection of unusual and unique Amur Tiger Photographs, visit her other site, The Forest’s Edge.

Dusty Shutt Catches Polar Bears Playing Around at the Pittsburg Zoo

It was playtime at the Pittsburgh Zoo this week when Dusty Shutt stopped by to take some of her entertaining animal photographs. Splashing around with a plastic 55 gallon drum(called an enrichment), Meesca the Polar Bear dives into the water at the at the Water’s Edge Exhibit while Sosa, on the right, paces in the background.

The amazing Water’s Edge Exhibit take you on a journey to a coastal fishing village that offers  two enormous underwater viewing tunnels and indoor and outdoor viewing windows, giving you a unique closeup of the stars of the show: Meesca and Sosa.

Native to the Arctic Circle, Polar Bears are the largest land carnivore and the largest of all bears. They are more than twice the size of Siberian Tigers. In 2008, the US Government listed the Polar Bear as a Threatened Species under the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act.

As the official mascots of the Pittsburgh Polar Bear Club, they are an inspiration to the approximately 200 river-jumpers who showed up for this years annual New Year’s Day Jump at Pittsburgh’s Mon Wharf. Meesca’s impressive long distance dive in Dusty Shutt’s photograph shows why.

Amazing Pittsburg Zoo

Some new Tigers and Polar Bear images are coming.

Meesca and Sosa at the Water’s Edge Exhibit.

Amur(Siberian Tigers) at the Asian Forest Exhibit