Spicy New Sumatran Tiger Cub

There are only about 500 critically endangered Sumatran tigers left in the wild. There are only 73 in zoos. Zoo Miami is part of the Species Survival Plan, a global effort to conserve and produce more Sumatran tigers. Their breeding couple, Berani and Leeloo, produced a male cub in 2015 and a female cub in 2021. The father, Berani, developed cancer and was euthanized on November 2. He was 15 years old, an advanced age for a tiger. But Berani has left his legacy, and has even added to it.

On Thanksgiving Day, Zoo Miami announced that Berani had fathered a third Sumatran tiger cub, born on September 6. Such news is always kept from the public for a few weeks to make sure that a zoo baby survives that critical period. At ten days old, the cub had its first health check, which revealed she is a girl, and is healthy and developing normally. Yes, for a ten-day-old cat, she is very big, even though Sumatran tigers are the smallest of all the tiger species. The cub and her mother Leeloo will remain in seclusion for a few months before the cub is shown to the public. Zooborns has the press release from the zoo and more pictures.