If you ask a kid in Metro Detroit who their favorite tiger is, they might mention Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal or the team’s rookie phenom Kevin McGonigle.
They probably wouldn’t talk about the three Amur tigers at the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak.
The zoo took a step towards changing that with its first Tigers Day on Sunday, bringing sports fans and wildlife educators together in an attempt to translate team spirit into conservationism.
“Guests came in the gates early. They were ready to go at 9 a.m. with their Detroit Tigers gear on, so it was super exciting to see it,” said Megan Gregg, the zoo’s senior events manager.
The weather brought people out as well, Gregg said, “but everyone seems to really be enjoying it, and I would consider it a really great success for both organizations.”
The Tigers mascot Paws and the team’s cheer squad, the Rally Cats, roamed the zoo, while keepers led one of the actual tigers in a live recreation session.
Visitors received a Tigers welcome gift at the gate, and the zoo set up raffle tables, interactive education stations and themed concessions like “Big Cat Boba” and Tiger-themed latte art.
The four members of the McClain family, who live in Ferndale and Troy, are frequent zoo visitors and avid Tigers fans. Mark McClain said the family visited the zoo just last week for an Earth Day celebration.
Mark McClain, who has been a Tigers season ticket holder since 1993, described the environment as “festive,” while Donna McClain, a zoo member since 1997, said she was excited to see “a lot of people out today … in their Tigers gear out to see the tigers, meet the players.”
The zoo advertised a visit from a “surprise” former Tigers player.
Mark and Donna took shots at guessing the former player. Could it be Hall-of-Famer Alan Trammell? “Sweet Lou” Whitaker? Their daughter Delaney hoped to see a more recent former Tiger, outfielder J.D. Martinez.
It was Dave Rozema, a fan favorite sinkerballer – who played on the 1984 World Series champion Tigers squad, signing pictures from his playing days for a line of fans decked out in orange and black.
One young fan standing in line, 8-year-old Louis Swistock of Ferndale, didn’t know Rozema, but he still wanted an autograph from the former Tiger.
In a Tigers jersey and wraparound shades, Swistock said he felt “good” about the team’s chances at making the World Series this season. His father, Mark Swistock, said the event was an “added perk” to visiting the zoo on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
Zoo visitors who remembered that 1984 championship run were more enthusiastic to meet Rozema.
“This is awesome. We’re big Tigers fans,” said Debbie Glover of Holly after Rozema signed a photo for her. She was a Tigers fan when they won the World Series in 1984. “We were tigering at any time,” she said.
Glover doesn’t make it to the zoo often, but came down specifically for the Tiger Day event. She and two friends, Linda Reckart of Warren and Caryn Gilliland of Hazel Park, were distracted by the sight of Paws, the Tigers mascot, taking photos with admirers.
Paws eventually made his way down to the tiger enclosure, where he delighted a throng of kids by mimicking one of the zoo’s tigers, which chewed on a massive bone in front of the crowd, seemingly undisturbed by the commotion.
Not everyone checking out the zoo’s tiger enclosure was there for “Tigers Day.” Some, like Roxanne Isaacson of Flint and Alexis Baldrica of Plymouth, just needed something to do with their young kids on the weekend.
“We knew something was up though, because the parking was insane,” Isaacson said.
Ann Pino, a zoo volunteer from Rochester, stressed the importance of highlighting the zoo’s three tigers at an information stand near the enclosure, where she was showing visitors a tiger whisker and explaining how each animal’s stripes serve as its “fingerprint.”
“We’re hoping to promote the survival of the species,” she said. “And hopefully, they’ll have new baby tigers and promote that survival.”
There are fewer than 4,500 tigers in the wild, and they are considered an endangered species, according to the zoo’s website.
The Detroit Zoo has three of the animals: a male named Nikolay, born in 2017; a female named Ameliya, born in 2011; and a female named Darya, born in 2023.
“These are our ambassadors here that help us to … appreciate them and make sure that they have a great habitat,” Pino said.
Pino has volunteered at the zoo for five or six years, helping out with events and educating visitors. “I love being at the zoo,” she said. “There’s so many things to do here year round. So many exciting things.”
Sunday’s event marked the first time the zoo hosted a joint event with the Tigers, but the two organizations have an ongoing collaboration, according to Gregg, the events manager.
“We’ve been partnering with the Detroit Tigers for the last three years … and we thought it would be really beneficial to continue to grow our partnership by hosting something at the Detroit Zoo,” she said.
Gregg added, “I think we’re always looking to grow our partnership.”
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit Zoo’s Tigers Day connects baseball fans to conservation
Reporting by Ben Warren, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
