NEED TO CATCH up? The Journal brings you a roundup of today’s news.

IRELAND

People having pints ahead of St Patrick's Day in Dublin City Center this afternoon. Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie / RollingNews.ie

• An independent review into past child abuse within St John Ambulance Ireland’s ranks stated that the organisation still operates under a “quasi-military structure” which is not appropriate for children.
• RTÉ announced that Ryan Tubridy will step down as host of The Late Late Show at the end of the current season.
• Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the Government is seeking advice from cyber experts on the Chinese-owned video app TikTok after the UK announced a ban on the app on government devices.
• A report examining the social media gathered complaints of sexual abuse in the Irish Defence Forces will be published in the coming days.
• The High Court ruled that Enoch Burke must pay Wilson’s Hospital School for legal costs it has incurred during the ongoing legal battle between the parties.
• Tributes were paid to Detective Garda Colm Horkan by his friends, family and colleagues after a man was found guilty of the capital murder of the detective yesterday.
• Dublin Airport operator DAA won a battle with Fingal County Council concerning the council’s demand that it pay €5 million in planning contributions.
• The annual rate of inflation in Ireland is at 8.5%, down slightly compared with previous months.

INTERNATIONAL

Members of Ukrainian army tank crew check the equipment for combat deployment at a military base in the Zaporizhzhia region. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

#SURVEILLANCE DRONE The Pentagon released footage of what it says was a Russian aircraft pouring fuel on a US Air Force surveillance drone and clipping its propeller in international air space over the Black Sea

#SECURITY The PSNI said hundreds of specialist  police officers from England and Wales will be needed in Northern Ireland as part of a massive security operation during a visit by US President Joe Biden.

#NORTH KOREA South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol arrived in Japan looking to open a “new chapter” in relations hours after Pyongyang fired a long-range ballistic missile.

PARTING SHOT

Fota Wildlife Park has a new resident.

Jambi the Sumatran tiger, who has recently arrived at Fota Wildlife Park in Cork. Sinead Donnachie / Fota Wildlife Park Sinead Donnachie / Fota Wildlife Park / Fota Wildlife Park

It announced today that Jambi, a critically endangered Sumatran tiger, arrived on 21 February from Heidelberg Zoo in Germany and is now settled into her new habitat in the Asian Sanctuary following a transition period.

Jambi was relocated to the Co Cork wildlife park as part of a recommended move from the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria’s (EAZA) endangered breeding programme (EEP) for Sumatran tigers.

Tigers are often moved between parks to breed with different mates in order to avoid inbreeding and to maintain as much genetic diversity in the EEP breeding programme as possible.

The park has been involved in the programme since 2014, when it received its first Sumatran tigers, a male Denar and a female Dourga. This pair then produced two offspring, a female named Dharma in 2017 and a male named Dash in 2019. 

As part of the programme, male tiger Denar transferred to Cottbus Zoo in Germany last month to breed with a female Sumatran tiger there.

Jambi has come to Fota Wildlife Park as part of a recommended move from the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria’s (EAZA) endangered breeding programme (EEP) for Sumatran tigers, which Fota Wildlife Park has been involved in since 2014. pic.twitter.com/HbjdhqIsmg

— Fota Wildlife Park (@fotawildlife) March 16, 2023

Female tiger Dourga moved to West Midlands Safari Park last year, and her male offspring Dash, born at Fota, moved to Chester Zoo on the same day. Dash then mated with the resident female Kasarna which resulted in the birth of two cubs on 7 January.

The Sumatran tiger is one of the rarest subspecies of tigers in the world and was classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2008.

It is estimated that fewer than 350 individuals remain in the wild.

“Introducing a new tiger to the current streak is a very specialised process that requires a high degree of training and husbandry. At first, the new tiger must be allowed to acquaint itself with their new environment,” Julien Fonteneau, Fota’s lead ranger Julien Fonteneau said.

“Jambi was quiet for the first few days, but she is now a lot more confident, and we have started tong feeding her and doing some basic training. We introduce the tigers through the mesh during this stage, and the three are getting on well.”

It is estimated that fewer than 350 Sumatran tigers remain in the wild. Sinead Donnachie / Fota Wildlife Park Sinead Donnachie / Fota Wildlife Park / Fota Wildlife Park

“We are thrilled to welcome Jambi to Fota Wildlife Park,” said Animal care manager said the park are “thrilled to welcome Jambi”.

“The animal Rangers are working hard to ensure that she is experiencing a seamless, safe and comfortable transition. The welfare of any animal arriving into Fota is a top priority for us as they continue their critical journey as part of the successful endangered breeding programmes we have been involved in over the past 40 years.

“We hope Jambi’s arrival will help educate our visitors about species and biodiversity conservation.”