CAMP VERDE, AZ – Two tiger cubs found in Arizona last month and now living at the Out of Africa Wildlife Park have some new names to go along with their new home.
The wildlife park held a contest from Jan. 7-23 where the public could suggest names for the 200-pound male tigers who were found tied-up in the backyards of two Phoenix homes in January.
According to a press release, zoo officials chose Gabriel, for the white tiger, and Journey for the orange tiger.
Two winners, one from Prescott, Ariz. and the other from Fort Collins, Co., will each receive a year-long family pass to visit the zoo, according to a press release.
Dan Harrison, one of the owner’s for the park, said the 7-month-old tigers will soon be enrolled in “tiger school.”
An adult tiger will help mentor Gabriel and Journey to teach them tiger etiquette, as well as how to interact with humans.
Officials said thousands of names were submitted during the nearly two-week contest.
The tigers made their public debut over the Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend, according to zoo officials.
The tigers were captured by officials with the Arizona Game and Fish Department on Jan. 7, after receiving a tip in December of 2013. Harrison said the tigers came to Arizona from Texas and were sold illegally.
The Out of Africa Wildlife Park is located in Camp Verde, Ariz.
Read more: http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_northern_az/other/rescued-tigers-at-out-of-africa-wildlife-park-receive-new-names-gabriel-and-journey#ixzz2schBwrJk
Josh Frigerio | Journalist & Content Producer 