Three rare tiger cubs debut at Taronga Zoo Sydney

Taronga Zoo Sydney is thrilled to announce that the three rare Sumatran Tiger cubs born earlier this year made their public debut today in the immersive Sumatran Tiger Trek. The cubs made their very first public appearance at the Ranger Station exhibit, with their mother Kartika just in time for the autumn school holidays.

Taronga Zoo Sydney also announced the names of the female cubs as Mawar (rose in Indonesian) and Tengah Malam (midnight in Indonesian), and the male cub as Pemanah (archer in Indonesian).

The cubs were born on 17 January, and in that time have gone from strength to strength, opening their eyes, learning to walk independently and play with each other, and they are now beginning to eat meat while still suckling their mother’s milk.

The cubs are increasingly rare in the wild, with as few as 350 Sumatran Tigers remaining after devastating jungle clearing for unsustainable palm oil plantations and the illegal wildlife trade. Taronga’s Tiger Trek, where the cubs can be seen, shows guests how simple shopping choices can help protect the Tigers’ habitat in the wild.

Louise Ginman, Unit Supervisor of Carnivores at Taronga Zoo Sydney said that she couldn’t hope for better ambassadors for their wild counterparts.

“This is the first time that they have walked outside the Tiger dens with their mother, which has uneven terrain for them to explore. The dens have smooth, flat ground which helped when they were first learning to walk, so they will still be a little unsteady for a while yet,” said Keeper Louise.

“Moving to the Tiger Trek Ranger Station also poses a challenge for Kartika, who could keep her cubs together in the dens. Now that they are moving about a larger space and learning to climb terrain, she will have a much harder time controlling them,” Keeper Louise said.

“This birth is such a wonderful success for the conservation of this fragile species, and I am so excited that we can now invite guests to share our joy,” she said.

“It’s such a shock that these three little cubs represent one per cent of the remaining wild population but with zoo-based conservation programs worldwide and the support of our guests here in Sydney, there’s still hope for the future of this species,” she said.