New endangered male Sumatran tiger at Tacoma Zoo to breed cubs now ready to meet public
This article was produced by Jeremy Hance for Mongabay, an environmental science and news publication, in collaboration with McClatchy News.
A known breeding Sumatran tiger has made its way to Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma, Washington, in hopes it will produce more cubs of this critically endangered big cat. The zoo is set to debut Sanjiv — an 11-year-old male tiger weighing in at 286 pounds — to the public on Friday, Jan. 6.
Having already fathered four cubs, keepers and conservationists hope Sanjiv will mate with the two female Sumatran tigers on site; Kali, nine years old, and Indah, who is eight. Sanjiv was transferred in December from the Topeka Zoo & Conservation Center, but keepers say he’s already adjusting well to his new home.
“[Sanjiv] is a very social and expressive tiger who loves to interact with his keepers and our two female tigers,” assistant curator Erin Pritchard said in a news release. “He’s always chuffing and vocalizing, and he’s fascinated with the swinging gibbons and other species that share his Asian Forest Sanctuary home.”
Breeding can prove difficult, however. Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium lost a female Sumatran tiger in 2021 after a male mortally wounded her during a breeding introduction.
Sumatran tigers are named after their home in Indonesia, a tropical, forested island larger than California. They are the smallest living tigers and the only tiger left inhabiting the island. As a top predator, the Sumatran tiger plays a key role in the island’s ecosystems. Although scientists are currently debating tiger taxonomy, Sumatran tigers are generally considered a distinct subspecies, with their two closest relatives — the Bali and Javan tigers — already extinct.
Less than 400 Sumatran tigers survive in the wild today, according to some experts. Sumatra has lost around half of its old-growth forests in the last forty years, pushing many of its species, including tigers, into smaller pockets of habitat. Sumatran tigers also face other threats: they are active targets for poachers, who sell their body parts on the black market. The large cats can also come into conflict with local villagers and are sometimes caught in snares meant for wild pigs or deer.
Amid all this, zoos around the world are playing a pivotal role in preserving this top predator from extinction. According to Point Defiance, only 72 Sumatran tigers live in accredited U.S. zoos. This captive population is managed by a Species Survival Plan under the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
“We’re working hard to protect and boost the population of this critically endangered species, and the genetics of these three tigers are very valuable,” Karen Goodrowe Beck, general curator of Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, said in a news release. “Species Survival Plans help ensure a healthy, genetically diverse, and self-sustaining population to ensure the long-term future of these majestic big cats.”
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium has successfully bred Sumatran tigers before, including triplets, in 2014.
This story was originally published January 6, 2023 at 5:00 AM.