Rare Tiger Kills Prospective Mate in London at First Meeting

LONDON, LELEMUKU.COM - For 10 days, the London Zoo kept its newly arrived male Sumatran tiger, Asim, in a separate enclosure from Melati, the female tiger who was supposed to become his mate.

Zoologists gave them time to get used to each other's presence and smells, and waited for what they felt would be the right time to let them get together. On Friday, they put the two tigers into the same enclosure — and Asim killed Melati as shocked handlers tried in vain to intervene.

It was a tragic end to hopes that the two would eventually breed as part of a Europe-wide tiger conservation program for the endangered Sumatran subspecies.

"Everyone here at ZSL London Zoo is devastated by the loss of Melati and we are heartbroken by this turn of events,'' the zoo said in a statement.

It said the focus now is"caring for Asim as we get through this difficult event.''

The zoo said its experts had been carefully monitoring the tigers' reactions to each other since Asim arrived 10 days ago and had seen"positive signs'' that indicated the two should be put together.

"Their introduction began as predicted, but quickly escalated into a more aggressive interaction,'' the zoo said.

Contingency plans called for handlers to use loud noises, flares and alarms to try to distract the tigers, but that didn't work. They did manage to put Asim, 7, back in a separate paddock, but by that time Melati, 10, was already dead.

Asim's arrival at the zoo last week had been trumpeted in a press release showing him on the prowl and describing him as a"strapping Sumatran tiger.''

The organization Tigers in Crisis says there are estimated to be only 500 to 600 Sumatran tigers in the wild. (VOA)

Melbourne Set to Roast on Hottest Day in Decade, Reached 44 Celcius

CANBERRA, LELEMUKU,COM - Tens of thousands of Melbourne homes and businesses lost power Friday as air-conditioners taxed the power supply on what was forecast to be the hottest day in a decade for Australia’s second-largest city.

The Victoria state capital, with a population of 5 million, is set to reach 44 degrees Celsius (111 degrees Fahrenheit). That would be Melbourne's hottest day since Feb. 7, 2009 — a day of catastrophic wildfires that is remembered as Black Saturday.

That day, the temperature soared to 46.4 C (115.5 F). Wildfires killed 173 people and razed more than 2,000 homes in Victoria.

Scores of wildfires are raging in heat wave conditions across much of drought-parched southeast Australia, with authorities warning the fire risk is high.

Audrey Zibelman, chief executive of the Australian Energy Market Operator, which manages the national electricity grid, said three heat-stressed coal-fired generators had failed in Victoria and a fourth was expected to shut downFriday.

The grid began loading-sharing as temperatures climbed in the early afternoon, with 30,000 households and businesses at a time being switched off for as long as two hours so that supply could keep up with demand, Zibelman said. Essential services such as hospitals were quarantined.

Alcoa, the state’s largest power user, agreed to power down its aluminum smelter. Several other businesses also agreed to wind down their operators during the period of extraordinary demand to spare the city’s power.

Black Saturday had been the hottest day ever recorded by a major Australian city until Adelaide reached a searing 46.6 C (115.9 F) on Thursday.

The South Australia state capital of 1.3 million people — 640 kilometers (400 miles) west of Melbourne — beat its previous 80-year-old record of 46.1 C (115 F) set on Jan. 12, 1939, and records tumbled in smaller towns across the state.

The South Australian town of Port Augusta, population 15,000, topped the state at 49.5 C (121.1 F).

The Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne invoked its extreme-heat policy Thursday and closed the main stadium's roof during a women's semifinal match.

Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Rob Sharpe said he would not be surprised if this January becomes Australia's hottest January on record with heat wave conditions likely to persist.

Last year was Australia's third-warmest on record. (VOA)