A 3-week-old endangered Sumatran Tiger cub made her first
public appearance at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium last week, and zoo
visitors can now watch twice a day as the cub, named Kali, is bottle-fed by zoo
keepers.
Photo credit:
Jesse Michener/Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
The Tiger was born April 17 to mom Jaya. Malosi is her
father. “She’s spunky, robust, and
energetic,” zoo staff biologist Steven Ok said. Kali gets about three ounces of
formula five times a day. Zoo visitors
can watch the 10 am and 2 pm feedings.
Sumatran Tigers are critically endangered. Kali is only the third Sumatran Tiger born in North
America this year. There are 74 Sumatran Tigers in North American zoos, and an estimated 300 left in their native
habitat on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
The Species Survival Plan® works to ensure genetic diversity in the zoo-based Tiger population through careful breeding recommendations and management. Habitat
loss and poaching are the Tigers’ greatest threats.
“Every Tiger is precious,” said Karen Goodrowe Beck, zoo general curator, who
also chairs the Association of Zoos & Aquariums’ Sumatran Tiger Species
Survival Plan. “We are very pleased at the birth of this cub and with her
progress to date. Female cubs are particularly needed in this population. She
is a welcome addition.”
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