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.