Topeka tiger looks for 'love connection' in new home on the West Coast

TACOMA, WA (KSNT) - A tiger that once called Topeka home has moved across the country where he'll be introduced to some new striped friends.

Sanjiv is an 11-year-old male Sumatran tiger who just finished his 1,854-mile journey to his new home in Tacoma, Washington. Sanjiv said goodbye to the Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center following an announcement that that he and the one other remaining tiger in Topeka, Badar, would be sent to new zoos.

Initially, the Topeka Zoo did not release the destination for Sanjiv. However, the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium made the announcement via social media on Friday that Sanjiv would be moving in. The zoo plans to introduce him over time to two female tigers in the hopes that "a love connection will spark."

While this leaves the Topeka Zoo tigerless for the time being, that may change in the near future. Thomas, a tiger from the Kansas City Zoo, will be moving to Topeka mid-January while Bintang, another tiger from Topeka, will be taking Thomas' place in Kansas City, according to a social media announcement from the Kansas City Zoo.