FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 5, 2014
Contacts:
Kris Sherman, 253-226-6718 or [email protected]
Whitney DalBalcon, 253-278-6343 or [email protected]
8-WEEK-OLD TIGER CUB TRIPLETS MAKE PUBLIC DEBUT AT POINT DEFIANCE ZOO
Kirana, Dari and Indah to be on exhibit daily at 11 a.m., weather and mom’s cooperation permitting
TACOMA, Wash. – Sumatran tiger triplets Kirana, Dari and Indah made their public debut at Point Defiance Zoo &
Aquarium this morning, to smiles and oohs and ahhs from children and adults gathered to see them. The cubs and
their mother, Jaya, are scheduled to be on exhibit at 11 a.m. daily. Their appearances are dependent on good
weather and Jaya’s cooperation.
TIGER DAD MALOSI LEAVING
POINT DEFIANCE ZOO
Malosi, the 6-year-old Sumatran
tiger who fathered cubs Kirana,
Dari and Indah, is leaving Point
Defiance Zoo & Aquarium on
Tuesday.
He will be on exhibit in the Asian
Forest Sanctuary area of Point
Defiance Zoo this weekend for
visitors who want to get another
look at him before he leaves.
Malosi is being transferred to
another zoo accredited by the
Association of Zoos & Aquariums.
The move is part of the Species
Survival Plan®, a managed
breeding program for
endangered species.
He will be paired with another
female in the hope that their cubs
will add more genetic diversity to
the North American population of
Sumatran tigers.
Malosi came to Point Defiance
Zoo in 2012 from Honolulu Zoo,
where he was born. He fathered
three litters of cubs with Jaya. In
addition to the now 8-week-old
triplets, he is the father of 2-yearold Dumai and 18-month-old Kali.
Jaya and her three cubs, Kirana, Dari and Indah, got during some playtime in one of the
exhibits at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium during a media preview. They made their
public debut on Friday.
The cubs, all females, were born Oct. 8. They have been living behind
the scenes in the zoo’s Asian Forest Sanctuary area with their mother,
Jaya, while they nursed and grew.
Now, at about five times their birth weights, with sturdy, steady legs
and curious natures, they’re ready to meet the public.
They made their media debut Thursday morning, climbing over one
another as well as mom, who carefully watched them as they
scampered about the exhibit space. They playfully nipped at her face
and ears.
She nuzzled and groomed them. Occasionally, she picked one of the
female triplets up by the scruff of her neck and carried it across a
grassy area to another part of the exhibit.
When the cubs tired
after about an
hour of romping and
exploring, they
settled down with
mom in a warm spot
and began nursing.
The cubs weighed
between 2.5 and 3
pounds at birth.
Now, each weighs
around 17 pounds.
In addition to
mother’s milk, they
are beginning to
receive small
amounts of meat in
their daily diets.
Jaya patiently allows her cubs to nip and claw at her during some exercise time in one of the exhibit spaces
in the zoo’s Asian Forest Sanctuary.
They got their names three weeks ago following a public vote on several names proposed by zookeepers. Some
7,140 votes were cast.
Kirana, Indah, and Dari are derived from Bahasa Indonesia, the Indonesian language. Kirana (keer-rana) translates
to beautiful sunbeam; Indah (N-da), to beautiful one; and Dari (Dar-ee) is short for Ndari, meaning full moon.
The cubs already are showing
distinct personalities, said staff
biologist Telena Welsh, one of
the zookeepers who cares for
the tigers in the zoo’s Asian
Forest Sanctuary area. Kirana is
the “sassy” one who likes to
run after her sisters and nip at
them. Dari is more mellow and
tends to hang back a bit from
her sisters, Welsh said. Indah is
a little bit feisty and very vocal,
often using her voice to get
attention from Jaya.
The cubs’ births (a cause for
celebration) are part of the
Species Survival Plan®, a
managed breeding program for
endangered species. They are
the fourth litter for 11-year-old
Jaya. Their father is Malosi.
Only about 300 Sumatran tigers remain in the wild on their native Indonesian island of Sumatra, and their numbers
are dwindling due to poaching and habitat loss. There are just 78 Sumatran tigers in accredited zoos in North
America and roughly 400 in zoos worldwide.
“These cubs are small, but their ability to focus attention on the plight of tigers is huge,” said Karen Goodrowe
Beck, the zoo’s general curator, who also is vice chair of the Sumatran Tiger Species Survival Plan® for North
America.
“We know that when people come to see these cubs, they will use words like “cute” and “adorable” to describe
them, but we also want visitors to see them as ambassadors for their species, which is threatened with extinction,”
Goodrowe Beck said. “These cubs can help teach people about actions they can take to help tigers in the wild.”
For information on ways to help, go to www.pdza.org/save-tigers.
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium is home to three Sumatran tigers in addition to Jaya, Malosi and the newborn
cubs. Bima, 4, Dumai, 2, and Kali, 1, all were born at the zoo to Jaya. Berani, a 2-year-old Malayan tiger, also lives
at the zoo.
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Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, the Northwest’s only combined zoo and aquarium, promotes and practices
effective conservation on behalf of the world’s wildlife. The zoo, a division of Metro Parks Tacoma, is accredited by
the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) and the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums (AMMPA).