TACOMA — Point Defiance Zoo is introducing a new male Sumatran tiger from the Honolulu Zoo. Zoo officials hope Malosi and the zoo’s female tiger, Jaya, will produce cubs.
The zoo planned to present the 3-year-old cat today with a treat made of frozen meat and blood and topped with whipped cream.
The zoo’s curator coordinates the North American Sumatran tiger survival plan as part of an effort to ensure the sustainability of zoo-based tigers.
Point Defiance says about 200 Sumatran tigers are in zoos, including 70 in the United States. Tacoma has three: Jaya, her 1 1/2-year-old cub, Bima, and Bima’s father, Bali.
The tiger sub-species is native to the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Poaching and habitat loss caused the wild population to dwindle to fewer than 300.
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