Zoo needs to separate fighting tigers

LONDON, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- A male and female tiger that don't get along are prompting the London Zoo to seek $10 million to finance a new big cat enclosure.

Keepers at the 180-year-old facility said they were hoping that Sumatran tigers Sarah and Lumpur would mate but instead the two have been fighting, The Daily Telegraph reported Wednesday.

Veterinarian Barnardo Luque served on a five-member inspection team that recommended separating the tigers after noticing a wound on one of Sarah's legs.

"Apparently, she was a bad-tempered tiger," Luque told the newspaper. "It was a situation that you might expect to see in large felines but it you see an injury you have to do something."

As a condition for renewing its license, the London Zoo must submit plans for a new outdoor tiger exhibit within two years, The Daily Telegraph says.

The zoo plans to launch a public appeal next year to raise the necessary $10 million.