Tigers About the House

Tigers About the House

Australia's most-loved tiger cubs Hunter and Clarence (also known by their nicknames Spot and Stripe) are due to hit Australian TV screens this week, as Channel Nine's multi-channel GEM shares the BBC2 documentary Tigers About the House.  

Tigers About the House follows Giles Clark, British Tiger expert and Head of Big Cats at Australia Zoo, as he hand-rears the most genetically important Sumatran tigers in the world – brothers, Spot and Stripe. To ensure the cubs survival, Giles takes Spot and Stripe home to live with his boisterous family.

Tune into GEM weekly on Thursday nights at 7:30pm AEST to join Giles as he earns stripes of his own on a playful journey with the inquisitive cubs. Watch on as they quickly grow into confident young tigers testing the boundaries, forming bonds and facing unprecedented challenges.

The documentary series which was filmed at Australia Zoo in late 2013 has been long-awaited by Australian audiences after a hugely successful premiere in the United Kingdom.

Documentary star and tiger foster parent Giles Clark said that sitting down on his family couch this Thursday to watch the first episode - the very couch where he sat with the cubs – will be a 'surreal" experience.

'It is very surreal. I am immensely proud of the cubs and everyone involved from the team to the vets," Giles said.

'For me, the driving motivation for the program was to gain support and awareness for tiger conservation. Already, this is what I am most proud of.

'Tens of thousands of dollars have been raised directly as a result of sharing Spot and Stripe's story in the UK through Tigers About the House and I hope Australian audiences become inspired by their story too."

As little as 400 Sumatran tigers remain in the wild, an issue that both Giles and Australia Zoo had hoped to highlight through the documentary series. Through Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors' Tiger 511 program, which works on the premise that $5 saves one tiger in the wild for one day, a team of dedicated conservationists are employed to fight poachers on the ground in Sumatra.

The tiger brothers, who now weigh 100 kg each and are 20 months old, share a strong brotherly bond and spend almost all their time together at Australia Zoo. Guests can visit them in the Tiger Temple throughout the day.

Follow their story from birth to now by tuning into GEM, this Thursday April 30^th at 7:30pm AEST for the Australian premiere of Tigers About the House.

Those wishing to find out more about Tigers About the House and the Tiger 511 program can head to:  http://www.australiazoo.com.au/bbc-tigers-about-the-house/