Game-makers worked closely with ZSL to replicate the tiger's habitat and behaviours.

London Zoo game replicates tigers' behaviours and habitat

Budding conservationists and gaming addicts alike can now prowl the forests of Indonesia as a tiger, thanks to ZSL London Zoo's new online game.

Tiger Territory: The Game allows people to experience life as a tiger. It has been developed to celebrate the zoo's flagship Sumatran tiger exhibit, where three rare cubs were recently born.

Players begin in the Adventure mode, where they have to unlock 12 achievements, evading poachers' snares and palm oil plantations guarded by electric fences. The game also highlights tiger behaviours such as sniffing out prey, as well as ZSL conservation techniques.

The next stage of the game is Arcade mode, where tigers have to hunt and eat as much as they can in just 60 seconds to boost energy levels. "Prey" ranges from the common wild boar to the elusive tapir.

Game-maker Filip Hnizdo and colleagues worked closely with conservation teams at ZSL to replicate the tiger's Indonesian home and behaviours.

"Tiger Territory: The Game is a chance for people to take on some of the challenges that wild Sumatran tigers face every day, from avoiding palm oil plantations to hunting for their speedy prey…

"We hope people will have great fun playing, and that they’ll also take away some awareness of the wild lives of Sumatran tigers and the very real threats that they’re facing – unfortunately for them, it’s not a game."

Image courtesy of ZSL