Hannah Conway
Miami Zoo, Florida, welcomed the newest member of their family: a critically endangered Sumatran tiger cub.
Miami Zoo said the female cub was born to 12-year-old Father Berani and 9-year-old Mother, Leeloo, described as a ‘nervous and protective Mother’.
Zookeepers said Leeloo is very protective of her new baby, so the zoo had to take extra precautions to isolate Leeloo and the cub to reduce their stress.
The zoo’s veterinarians didn’t get to examine the cub until the 3rd of March, allowing sufficient time for the Mother and cub to develop a bond without any interruptions and stress.
The unnamed cub weighed about 3 pounds at birth but has grown rapidly and now weighs over 14 pounds.
In her first neonatal exam, the cub received her first set of vaccines and a microchip.
For Leeloo, it is her second cub, and the zoo believes it to be the only Sumatran tiger born in North American since 2019.
On record, there are only 72 Sumatran tigers living in US zoos, and less than 500 left in the wild.
Sumatran Tigers can be found in the forests of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia – where they face threats of poaching and habitat loss to palm oil plantations.
Sumatran’s are the smallest subspecies of tiger – with males reaching up to 300 lbs. Females reach around 200 lbs.
“Though the cub as made it through the most critical time of her young life and she appears to be developing well, she will remain in seclusion with her mother for an as of yet undetermined amount of time before making her public debut to ensure they are well established,” the zoo said in a statement.