Need your cute baby animal fix? Here’s a Sumatran tiger cub born at Zoo Miami
Zoo Miami has a new addition — and she’s cute.
The critically endangered Sumatran tiger made her debut Jan. 5 and has been in isolation since.
Earlier this month, the cub received her neonatal exam, which included giving her vaccines, checking her ears, nose and mouth and taking her weight. She was estimated to be about 3 pounds at birth and was about 14 at the time of the exam.
The cub is the second for 9-year-old Leeloo, who was born at the Oklahoma City Zoo in July 2011 and arrived at Zoo Miami in December 2013. The cub’s father, 12-year-old Berani, was born at the San Francisco Zoo and arrived at Zoo Miami in August of 2013.
“She is a particularly nervous and protective mother so extra precautions have been taken to isolate her and her cub to reduce external stress,” Ron Magill said in a news release.
According to Magill, the cub is believed to be the only Sumatran tiger born in the United States since 2019. There are only 72 Sumatran tigers living in U.S. zoos and less than 500 left in the wild, Magill said.
“Their biggest threats are poaching and habitat loss to palm oil plantations,” he said.
Sumatran tigers, which are the smallest subspecies of tiger, can reach 300 pounds.
Those who want to catch a glimpse of her will have to wait because she will remain in seclusion with her mother for now.
In coming weeks, the zoo will have a naming contest for the cub as part of a fundraising effort in support of the Species Survival Plan’s “Tiger Conservation Campaign.”
The contest will begin March 29 and end May 2. The details will be available on the zoo’s Facebook page and www.zoomiami.org
