‘Vocal’ tiger flew FedEx across the U.S. to get to Tacoma. Now you can meet her
Tacoma is welcoming a new Sumatran tiger.
According to a news release from Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, the new arrival – a 6-year-old female named Mawar – came all the way from Australia. She is set to make her debut at the zoo on Sept. 6.
Mawar, whose name means “rose” in Indonesian, was born on Jan. 17, 2019 at Taronga Zoo in Sydney. She completed a mandatory quarantine period at the Memphis Zoo and then traveled on a FedEx plane across the country before landing in Tacoma.
“Our team was with Mawar every step of the way to ensure her comfort and safety,” Telena Welsh, curator of Asian animals at Point Defiance Zoo, said in the news release. “Traveling such a long distance can be stressful, but she handled it incredibly well.”
The News Tribune asked Tessa Miller, spokesperson for the Point Defiance Zoo, how crew members transported the tiger from Sydney to Memphis, and she said she didn’t know.
Mawar will be the third Sumatran tiger at Point Defiance Zoo, the release said, joining Kali and Indah, who were both born in Tacoma.
“Mawar is a cautious explorer who likes to thoroughly investigate her surroundings before making herself at home,” Welsh said in the news release. “She’s very vocal, often ‘talking’ to her keepers and showing curiosity about the other tigers nearby.”
According to the release, there are fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers left in the wild.
“[Tigers are] facing constant threats from poaching, habitat loss, and human-wildlife conflict. Mawar’s arrival is part of a broader commitment to the care and conservation of Sumatran tigers,” the release said. “While her presence doesn’t directly impact wild populations, she inspires public awareness and support. She also brings valuable genetic diversity to the North American Sumatran tiger population.”
Miller confirmed to The News Tribune that the zoo plans to breed Mawar in the future.
