How better to say Happy New Year than with updated pictures on the trio of Sumantran Tiger cubs at Australia's Taronga Zoo? You can read all about these beautiful babies on ZooBorns both HERE and HERE. The three, Sakti, Kartika and Kembali, are full of energy and play - and keep mom Jumilah on her paws... as seen in the video below.
These three cubs are a valuable boost to this critically endangered species.There are now more tigers in world zoos than in the wild (as few as 400), so zoo breeding programs are vital.
Chester Zoo's three nine-week-old Tiger cubs have had their first ever health check ups. Last week, the rare cubs were checked by zoo vets and keepers who determined their sexes, wormed them, fitted them with microchips and gave them their vaccinations for cat flu.
Curator of Mammals, Tim Rowlands, said: "They basically receive the same vaccines that a pet cat is given when it’s taken to the vets. The only difference is we're much more cautious about handling the cubs than we would be with domestic kittens."
Each of the cubs – which are only found on the Indonesian island of Sumatra in the wild - was also weighed and given a general check up. Vetinary Officer, Livia Benato said: "The cubs received a physical examination to check they are healthy and in good body condition. Happily, all three cubs – all girls - have been given a completely clean bill of health."
You may have first met these Sumantran tiger cubs from Taronga Zoo in Sydney on Zooborns' October blog post. Then the cubs, born in late August, were just beginning to go out in the habitat for an hour or two. Now they are thriving and growing - as evidenced in these photos taken by Zoo visitor Chris Kaas.
Zoo Carnivore Supervisor, Louise Ginman said: “The three cubs are developing very quickly and watching mum’s every move. It’s great to see their individual personalities grow and the natural instincts displayed as they spend longer on exhibit."
"Kembali, the first-born male is very much like his father and can be unpredictable at times, which definitely keeps us on our toes," Louise continues, "whereas Sakti, the third-born is very calm and takes things in his stride. Kartika, the second and only female cub born, is definitely the most playful and adventurous, making sure she is the first to test out everything.”
There are now more tigers in world zoos than in the wild (as few as 400), so zoo breeding programs are vital. These three cubs are a valuable boost to this critically endangered species.
Photo Credit: Chris Kara
More pictures and conservation information after the jump.
Who could forget the first photos of Cameron Park Zoo's Sumantran tiger twins? You can find their baby pictures right HERE.
Indah, the female and Bugara, the male have been getting more and more adept at navigating the territory within their habitat since they first began to go out for short periods of 1-2 hours in late October. They continue to be full of life, play and spunk and are a delight to visitors and keepers alike.
Sumantran tigers are a species that inhabit the Indonesian island of Sumantra. They were declared critically endangered by the IUCN in 2008. Their total population in the wild is projected to be as low as under 300. That is why healthy cubs like this and zoo breeding programs are so important to their preservation.
The Sumatran tiger is the smallest of the tiger subspecies whereas the Siberian tiger is the largest.
The Sumatran Tiger cubs are ready to show their stripes to visitors of the Los Angeles Zoo. On Friday, December 9, 2011 the Zoo welcomes the adorable pair on-exhibit as they join their mother for their official public debut. Guests of the Zoo can finally visit the cubs and see first hand how energetic and playful they are. The cubs and their mother will transition off-exhibit various times throughout the day, allowing outdoor time for the Zoo’s male Sumatran Tiger.
Photo credits: Tad Motoyama
The L.A. Zoo welcomed the birth of the Sumatran tiger cubs on August 6, 2011. Since then, they’ve remained off-exhibit under the care of their mother and Zoo Keepers. While off-exhibit, Zoo fans have followed the cubs’ growth and development on their dedicated web page. This is the third litter of Sumatran tiger cubs born at the Los Angeles Zoo.
Update: The two Sumantran Tiger cubs from Cameron Park Zoo that we first wrote about HERE, made their public debut on Friday, October 28, in the tiger exhibit yard. The cubs had a trial run of their exhibit the day before, and their keeper along with zoo management felt that they could safely negotiate the tiger yard under the supervision of their keepers.
And, the cubs now have names -- the male is Bugara and the female is Indah.
For the next few weeks the goal is to have Indah and Bugara at play in the exhibit at 2:00 p.m. each afternoon. The play period will last from one to two hours depending on the cubs’ stamina. The cub’s time will also be dependent on the weather -- a temperature of 55 degrees Farenheit (12.7 Clesius) or higher - and the willingness of the adult tigers to leave the yard and come inside so the cubs can play.
Three Sumatran Tiger cubs - two male and one female - were born at Taronga Zoo in the early hours of August 20. They came into the world one hour apart, to mother ‘Jumilah’ and father, ‘Satu’, as zoo keepers monitored the labor from nearby. These babies are a valuable boost to this critically endangered species, seeing as there are as few as 400 left in the wild.
Carnivore Supervisor Louise Ginman said: “The whole Zoo is ecstatic at the birth of three healthy little tigers, especially all the carnivore keepers. Satu was brought to Taronga from Germany as part of the international zoo breeding program for Sumatran Tigers to mate with our Taronga-born female Jumilah and introduce new genetics to our region.”
“The female is really cheeky, with a lot of attitude and is the first one to check out new things. The boys are more cautious, but they’re growing in confidence and body size each day, now tipping the scales over 13 pounds (6 kg) each. I was here when their mother was born, so to see her rear her own cubs and be such a great mother really is a highlight of my career.”
Initially, the cubs will spend a very short time on exhibit with their mother, as the youngsters tire easily. As they get older, they’ll spend more time out and about.
Visitors to the Assiniboine Park Zoo on Monday got to take in a special sight.Two Siberian tiger cubs, born on July 29 at the zoo, were on the prowl, making their first public appearance.
"At eight weeks these guys were about seven and a half, eight kilos," said Chris Enright, senior veterinarian. "They'll get more and more confident, and come up a lot closer. So I'm sure people will have plenty of photo opportunities coming up," said Tim Sinclair-Smith from the Assiniboine Park Zoo.
The public is invited to participate in naming the twins. Visit the Zoo's Facebook page to vote.
Cameron Park Zoo is proud to announce the birth of two Sumatran Tiger cubs, one female and one male. The female was born at 1:30 pm on August 15th and the male was born at 3:30 am on August 16th. This was the first pregnancy and birth for Maharani, the mother tiger, and unfortunately she rejected the cubs immediately after their births. Zoo staff members were standing by and were able to take over the care of the cubs, which are now being hand-reared in the zoo’s veterinary facility.
Photo credits: Cameron Park Zoo
Because of their rocky start in life the cubs have been under 24 hour a day critical care and they are currently thriving. The female weighed 1 lb. 13 oz. at birth and the male weighed 2 lbs. 5oz. Today the female weighs 9 lbs 9 oz and the male weighs 12 lbs 1 oz. Since the cubs are too young to be on display at this point, they will continue to reside in the veterinary facility and the zoo will post daily photos and videos on the Cameron Park Zoo website and Facebook page. Zoo staff members will begin allowing the cubs to spend supervised time on exhibit when they judge them strong enough to negotiate the terrain of the Tiger exhibit.
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