Rare Tigon goes on display in Manchester

One of Manchester’s most famous big cats will go on display in the city – more than 65 years after she died.

Maude, a Tigon – that’s a cross between a tiger and a lion - who lived at Belle Vue Zoo, can now be seen at Manchester Museum and is the first Tigon to go on display in a UK museum for around 100 years.

Born in Dresden Zoo in 1932, Maude’s father was a Manchurian Tiger and her mother an African lioness. She was brought to Belle Vue Zoo in 1932 with her brother Kliou, and both were very popular with visitors in the 1930s and 40s.

After her death in December 1949, her skin was donated to the museum. But instead of being mounted and put on display, the skin was instead rolled up and left in a store.

An expert has now completed the taxidermy of the Tigon skin so Maude can once again be admired – almost 80 years after she first hit the public eye.

Henry McGhie, head of collections and curator of zoology at Manchester Museum, says Maude was far too unusual to be kept in storage. ‘We want people to be able to admire her, and to hear more about the now-forgotten time when Manchester was home to such unusual animals. I hope that people will find her story as fascinating as we do,’ he adds.

Manchester Museum is home to another former resident of Belle Vue Zoo – the skeleton of Maharajah the elephant.

See Time Out's guide to Manchester's best museums.