The Wild Animal Park’s Sumatran tiger siblings Kemala, Rojo, and Sari headed out March 31 on their journey to a new home at the Topeka Zoo in Kansas. These tiger “cubs” are now almost 16 months old and the term “cub” really is no longer justified (see previous blog, Tiger Cubs Are Growing Up!). These cats have earned the description of subadults; their last weights, taken on March 25, showed Kemala at 169 pounds (76.8 kilograms), Sari at 175 pounds (79.5 kilograms), and Rojo at a whopping 205 pounds (93.2 kilograms)! To put these weights in perspective, mom Delta weighs 188 pounds (85.5 kilograms) and dad Utan weighs 290 pounds (131.4 kilograms). So, as you can tell, they are growing fast!

The move went very smoothly with all three tigers being loaded into different crates. The crates were secured in the tiger house and attached to the doorways between the bedrooms. Crate training began about two weeks ago when the tigers were first allowed access to walk freely through them. The next step was to close one end and have the cats come inside; this was usually accomplished with a keeper at the closed end of the crate ready to reward the brave tiger with blood and pieces of beef heart for entering the crate. These cubs quickly caught on that it was a great idea to walk into the crate! This acclimatization allowed the morning of the move to be as stress free as possible for the cats. They all walked into the crates as normal, except today the door was closed behind them.

Many guests have had the opportunity over the past months to observe the cubs as they grew into the enormous tigers they are today. They have grown to have such distinct personalities and quirks but have definitely proven that they are tigers with roars and chuffs to express their moods. The move to Topeka is bittersweet, since we will all miss the kids, but we take great satisfaction in knowing that they are beginning a new life that will hopefully result in each being paired with others to start families of their own. Since tigers typically do not mate until they are two to three years old, the sibling group will remain intact for some time longer.

All of the Sumatran tigers here at the Wild Animal Park are registered in the Species Survival Plan (SSP), so the movement of these cats has a great conservational impact on the tiger population North America. Being the first litter of cubs born to Delta and Utan, they are very important genetically to the breeding population. The key to conserving this species of endangered cat is through maintaining a high level of genetic diversity in the population. Currently there are fewer than 300 Sumatran tigers thought to be living in the wild. Moving these three to another facility has also opened up several rooms in our tiger house, so perhaps Utan and Delta will be provided with another opportunity to mate!

Kym Nelson is a keeper at the Wild Animal Park.

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