Six-year-old Australian girl donates inheritance to save tigers

A six-year-old girl from Canberra has been given the naming rights of a tiger cub at the Australia Zoo after she donated the inheritance from her grandparents to a "Wildlife Warrior" programme.

It is believed Audrey Joyce's donation was in the thousands of dollars, but the amount will remain undisclosed, Xinhua news agency reported.

After making her donation, Joyce was granted the naming rights of the new 11-week-old cub, which she chose to name "Reggie".

The young Australian became a "Wildlife Warrior" after she said she gave her money to the wildlife conservation programme which is aimed at protecting endangered species.

"They (poachers) want their faces, skin and their bodies to make money from them," Joyce said on Monday.

It seems there was a secondary reason for Joyce's generosity: "I was born in the Year of the Tiger," she said.

Reggie is the third Sumatran tiger arrival this year, taking the Australian zoo's tiger population to 14.

Australia Zoo's tiger manager, Geoff Neubecker, said on Monday the zoo had donated more than $1.5 million to help defend poaching.

"It's great to see the next generation wanting to donate to save wildlife," Neubecker said.

"It's creating awareness and will go to protecting tigers in the wild."

The cub's parents are from the first Sumatran tigers to be released from Indonesia in more than 30 years.

-IANS

py/vm