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Point Defiance Sumatran tiger cub needs a name

The Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium's 3-week old Sumatran tiger cub is now on public display. The 8 pound feline has been moved into the cub den at the zoo's Asian Forest Sanctuary. Visitors can watch him interact with zookeepers at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily.

You can help name the cub. Zoo staffers have proposed 6 names for the little guy, and you can vote for your favorite at www.pdza.org.

The choices are:

  • Dumai (pronounced doo-my); a city in the Sumatra province of Riau
  • Moro (pronounced more-oh); a city in the Sumatra province of Riau
  • Toba (pronounced toe-baa); a city in the Sumatra province of North Sumatra
  • Rokan (pronounced row-kaan); a city in the Sumatra province of Riau
  • Tunggal (pronounced toon-gaal); Indonesian for “single”
  • Satu (pronounced saa-two); Indonesian for “one”

The cub was born August 22nd. Head veterinarian Dr. Karen Wolf separated him from his mother a few days later because he wasn't getting enough milk. Wolf says the cub is thriving now and has gained 5 pounds.
The cub's mother is 9-year-old Jaya, who had a previous litter two years ago. The father is 4-year-old Malosi.

Sumatran tigers are an endangered species, with only about 300 left in the wild. 

You can see a video of the cub on YouTube.

Dave Meyer has been anchoring KNKX news shows since 1987. He grew up along the shores of Hood Canal near Belfair and graduated from Washington State University with degrees in communications and psychology.