Playfully head-butting a blue and red ball around a small pool, two tiger cubs drew a large crowd yesterday on their debut at Baghdad Zoo.

Hope and Riley are part of a revamp at Al Zawraa Zoo, once the largest in the Middle East, which is enjoying a new lease of life as families return in their thousands after a fall in the violence that consumed Iraq until last year.

The two cubs, aged about 18 months and 2, have been donated by the Conservators Centre, a sanctuary and breeding facility in North Carolina, in a private deal. Riley, a male, and Hope, a female, which each weigh 150lb, touched down in Baghdad on Monday. Despite their celebrity status, the newcomers appear to have competition. In the next cage, four lions already have a loyal fan base.

Hundreds of the zoo’s animals perished or were stolen or let loose by looters after the 2003 invasion. A US soldier shot and killed one of its Bengal tigers that tried to maul another soldier who got too close to its cage, and troops killed four lions that had escaped.

Now the zoo is starting to recover. New cages are being built and pathways repaved. Stalls bursting with treats such as candyfloss, nuts and party hats create a rare carnival atmosphere, as loudspeakers blast out music from a radio request show.

The number of visitors has increased 300 per cent from 2006, according to Adel Salman Mousa, the zoo director. “There are plans to receive more animals,” Dr Mousa said, calling on other countries and organisations to think about donating. Top of his wish-list, he said, were an elephant and a giraffe.

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