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Tuesday, 31st May 2011
In General Japan News,

Kagoshima zoo gets pair of white tigers

Visitors to the city of Kagoshima in the south of Japan will now be able to see a pair of rare white tigers, which have gone on display at the zoo.

Hirakawa Zoological Park unveiled the male on Thursday (May 26th), and the plan was originally to display it and its female partner on alternate days, Kyodo News reports.

However, it has now been decided that the pair can be safely displayed to the public at the same time.

The Bengal tigers are both two years old, measure two metres long and are from Guilin in China.

Local pharmaceutical firm Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories received the tigers as a gift from China, but decided to donate them to the zoo.

Shinichi Saino, a zookeeper at Hirakawa Zoological Park, told the news provider: "We assume they may produce cubs in several years."

A public competition to name the tigers has been opened and will run until the end of next month.

Written by Kimberley Homer