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.
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