Jaya, the endangered Sumatran tiger at Tacoma’s Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, is pregnant for the second time in two years.
The 9-year-old animal is due to give birth in August, zoo officials said today. Ultrasounds have confirmed she’s carrying at least one cub.
“Jaya’s pregancy is very exciting news for Point Defiance Zoo visitors and for our global efforts to save this critically endangered species,” zoo general curator Karen Goodrowe Beck said.
Only five Sumatran tiger cubs have been born this year in accredited North American zoos, and fewer than 380 live in zoos around the world, Goodrowe Beck said.
Jaya gave birth to a pair of cubs in May 2010. This the first litter fathered by Malosi, a 3-year-old male that came to Point Defiance Zoo in February from Honolulu Zoo to breed with Jaya.
The tigers can be seen on exhibit in the zoo’s Asian Forest Sanctuary.
“If all goes well, the cubs will make their public debut in early fall,” the zoo announced.
Poaching and habitat loss have caused the wild Sumatran tiger population to dwindle to about 300.
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