Tiger Brothers Ready
Posted at 10:43 am October 27, 2006 by Bridget Mulholland
Our 16 month-old Malayan tiger brothers, Mata and Rimba (pictured), are tentatively scheduled to fly to their new home on Wednesday November 8. They will be moving to the Palm Beach Zoo in West Palm Beach, Florida, and all of the keepers in Tiger River (along with the building and grounds attendants, construction and maintenance workers, and gardeners!) will be sad to see them go. We have all become extremely attached to these playful, personable, somewhat destructive, yet lovable young tiger boys. (Read Bridget’s previous blog, Tiger Cubs on the Move.)
Both Rimba and Mata have been crate trained in preparation for their move, and they are now both very comfortable in their crates. One of their new keepers from the Palm Beach Zoo will be flying out to San Diego before their departure date to meet them and watch some of their training sessions. I’m sure that she will be so excited when she meets them; I’ll bet it’s love at first sight!
On a different note, there will be one individual in Tiger River I think will be relieved when they are gone. Their mother, Mek Degong, has been pretty aggressive with her two adolescent boys. She is ready for them to leave her territory and find their own. This would normally happen in the wild when the cubs are between 1½ and 2 years of age. We separated her from Mata and Rimba two weeks ago when we observed her growling and chasing them away any time they wanted to be near her. This separation from their mom has actually been very good for them. They now feel very comfortable without her, so that is one less thing that will be different when they go to their new home.
After the brothers have gone to Florida, we are planning to reintroduce Mek and Awang Relak (the cubs’ father). The two adult tigers always chuff (a tiger greeting) when they pass by each other’s door, so we are hopeful that their reintroduction will go smoothly. If all goes well, Mek and Awang could be out on exhibit together in mid November. But, before that happens, please stop by Tiger River to say goodbye to Keemasan Mata (Golden Eye) and Asa Rimba (Hope for the Jungle). Their sweet personalities and crazy antics will be greatly missed!
Bridget Mulholland is a senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo.
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October 27th, 2006 at 2:37 pm
I am so sad to hear that our beautiful tiger boys Mata and Rimba will be leaving us, I know they need to go to another zoo. I hope they do well and have many babies in the future. Wish them well for me. Please let us know how they are doing if you hear anything once they are in Florida.
I have been coming to the zoo on the weekends and they haven’t been out for whatever reason, I want to see them before they go. I will be there on the 4th in the morning. Will they be out? I don’t want to miss seeing them one more time.
I know all of you especially will miss these wonderful tiger boys, I hope also one day we will have more tiger babies.
October 27th, 2006 at 6:20 pm
Peggy, I’m sorry you haven’t seen the boys in your last couple of visits. We have been mixing up the tiger rotation now that Mata and Rimba are separated from Mek. I will plan to have them out on exhibit for you on November 4th from 9:00AM until noon. I’m glad you’re coming to say goodbye!
October 28th, 2006 at 4:33 pm
Thanks for keeping us so well informed, Bridget. I’ll be sure to stop by to say goodby to our beautiful young tigers and to wish them well in Florida. And I’ll also be looking forward to seeing Awang again out with Mek.
October 30th, 2006 at 8:27 am
Sorry to hear the boys will be leaving San Diego, but I am glad they will be going to their new home together. They sound like quite a pair, and too much to handle any longer for their mom. They will be well cared for in their new home in Florida, and should adjust well. It will give us Easterners a better chance to see them nearer to us.
Now we can look forward to more tiger cubs after their parents are reunited and on exhibit together. It is good to hear that Mek doesn’t growl at Awang like she does the cubs.
She has two reasons to be glad they are moving on. First she gets her territory back without rambuctious male cubs, and, second, she gets to spend more time with Awang on exhibit. Since he is more mature, hopefully she and he can co-exist more peacefully and get more sleep time.
October 30th, 2006 at 10:25 am
I recently reviewed some photos I took of the boys when they were younger. Unfortunately, I have needed to improve on action photography as most of my shots were blurry due to their playtime antics. Yet, those photos captured lots of energy and fun and I know everyone receiving them at their new zoo will enjoy them immensely. I am thankful we were able to benefit from watching the early phase of their lives and wish them all the best as they move and settle in Florida.
October 30th, 2006 at 11:40 am
Saw the boys last Sat. They were so active, handsome & fun to watch. They attracted quite a crowd & I told several tiger fans that the boys were heading to Florida soon. Thanks for giving us notice of their impending move!
November 8th, 2006 at 4:19 pm
Well, today is the day our tigers boys left; please let us know how they did on the trip and how they are adjusting to their new home. Please keep us informed on anything that is happening with them and if they do become proud daddies. I already miss them and it will be hard not seeing them and watching them anymore. Thank you, Bridget, for letting me know that the boys were out on saturday, I did see them and I did say good-bye to them even if it was sad to do. I will miss them greatly as I know all of you keepers especially will miss them. This is the hardest part for me; as a member who participates in the walks and lectures we find out so much about the animals and become attached to them so when they have to leave our beautiful zoo it is even harder to say good-bye and not see them anymore. Thanks for letting us know about Mata and Rimba. I really hope they do well in Florida.
November 9th, 2006 at 3:31 pm
Hopefully Mek and Awang getting back together will result in more cubs. How long is the gestation period for Malaysian tigers? That will ease the sadness of locals who don’t get to see Mata and Rimba, and give them some new little ones to get excited to visit.
November 16th, 2006 at 1:38 pm
How are the boys doing in their new home? Have Mek or Awang shown any acknowledgement that they are not around and that it is quieter in their quarters now?