Rare Sumatran Tiger Gives Birth

Sumatran Tiger fans and those at Taman Rimba zoo are rejoicing – a rare Sumatran Tiger gave birth to 3 healthy cubs on January 25, 2011. This was a welcome boost for the endangered species, said Didi Wuryanto who is the head of the provincial tourism and cultural agency of the Taman Rimba zoo in Jambi Province, Indonesia.

A Sumatran tiger cub and its handler (photo not taken in Indonesia)

The parents of the cubs are tigers called Peter and Uni. They were transferred to Jambi on the island of Sumatra from Ragunan zoo in Jakarta. According to Wuryanto, the tiger also gave birth to another cub, but unfortunately it died immediately.

This was a joyous occasion as Sumatran tigers are one of the most endangered species in the world. Unfortunately, Sumatran tiger breeding program efforts do not often succeed. There are as few as 400 Sumatran Tigers in the wild today in Indonesia, according to the World Wildlife Federation. That number was halved from the 1970’s, where there was a population of at least 1000 Sumatran tigers.

They are on the brink of extinction due to the modernisation and development of the nation such as by the huge logging industry in Indonesia. However, there are still some large tropical forests left untouched. In addition, human-animal conflicts are a problem due to poaching as well as people encroaching on wildlife habitats.