Australasian Sumatran Tiger Population

[Zoofan15]

Wellington Zoo - Bashi’s Gametes Collected/Stored

Some exciting news regarding this unrepresented founder:

Bashii the Sumatran Tiger was placed under general anaesthetic at Te Kōhanga The Nest last week so he could undergo an aged animal health check.

Last week’s health check included a dental and joint assessment, as well as x-rays, blood work, and an ultrasound. Our Vet team confirmed that Bashii has osteoarthritis in his joints as well as some dental disease which required a tooth being pulled.

While Bashii was under anaesthetic, a team from @masseyuniversity and Tararua Fertility collected a semen sample from him to ensure his genetics are preserved. The sample has been cryopreserved and will remain in store in case we need it in the future.

Discussion:

The article notes Bashi’s gametes will remain in store in case the zoo needs it in the future, which implies it would be used on an AI procedure on a tigress at Wellington Zoo (as opposed to being shipped to another zoo in the region).

This may be because at this point in time, there’s relatively few tigresses in the region it could be used for. As recently as five years ago, there was a wealth of unrelated potential mates for Bashi in the region, most of which are now post-reproductive. If we remove his nieces and the offspring of his nieces/newphews, this removes the bulk of the reproductive aged cohort.

Ultimately, we’re left with three tigresses (one of which is still a juvenile):

Auckland Zoo:

0.1 Zayana (15/10/2018) Imported 2022
0.1 Cahya (02/01/2024) Ramah x Zayana

Hamilton Zoo:

0.1 Kirana (16/11/2014) Oz x Sali

Kirana turns 10 years old next month and since Wellington Zoo don’t have the space to receive her, she can realistically be ruled out.

It’ll be interesting to see if Zayana or one of her daughters is transferred to Wellington in the future. I remain of the opinion that matching Cahya with Reggie is the best course of action; but Auckland Zoo will be breeding Ramah and Zayana at least once more, potentially welcoming at least one more daughter, who could then go to Wellington upon Bashi and Senja’s passing.

It should be noted that AI has a slim chance of success in big cats; so I imagine they may take the opportunity to do additional collections at subsequent health checks. Due to the risk of anaesthesia at Bashi’s age, there would be no justification to anaesthesing him for sample collection alone; but in this case, it was an excellent opportunity and could be hugely beneficial to the captive Sumatran tiger population.

 

[Zoofan15]

Auckland Zoo Update

I had an enjoyable visit to Auckland Zoo on 31/10/2024 and as usual, the tigers were a highlight.

1.0 Ramah (08/07/2017) Imported 2022
0.1 Zayana (15/10/2018) Imported 2022
0.1 Cahya (02/01/2024) Ramah x Zayana

Ramah spent most of the day sleeping in the small tiger exhibit, before wandering up onto the overhead pathway to survey the crowd.

Zayana and Cahya remained absent for the most of the day, finally appearing in the large exhibit just after 3pm. The pair drew a huge crowd, with Cahya clearly remaining one of the zoo’s biggest attractions.

I asked about future breeding plans and was surprised to learn that Ramah and Zayana breeding again is by no means the given we all thought it would be. A keeper told me prior to the birth of Cahya that it was a strong likelihood a second breeding recommendation would follow if the litter was small; and since a single surviving cub was the result, it indeed appeared the most likely outcome.

Long story short, no recommendations have been made at this stage and it’s very much a wait and see. One possibility is both females could transfer out and a new tigress brought in to pair with Ramah. The keeper I spoke to on Thursday said due to Ramah’s temperament, it’s likely he would remain at Auckland rather than Zayana.

Zayana:



Cahya:

 

[Jambo]

Auckland Zoo Update

I had an enjoyable visit to Auckland Zoo on 31/10/2024 and as usual, the tigers were a highlight.

1.0 Ramah (08/07/2017) Imported 2022
0.1 Zayana (15/10/2018) Imported 2022
0.1 Cahya (02/01/2024) Ramah x Zayana

Ramah spent most of the day sleeping in the small tiger exhibit, before wandering up onto the overhead pathway to survey the crowd.

Zayana and Cahya remained absent for the most of the day, finally appearing in the large exhibit just after 3pm. The pair drew a huge crowd, with Cahya clearly remaining one of the zoo’s biggest attractions.

I asked about future breeding plans and was surprised to learn that Ramah and Zayana breeding again is by no means the given we all thought it would be. A keeper told me prior to the birth of Cahya that it was a strong likelihood a second breeding recommendation would follow if the litter was small; and since a single surviving cub was the result, it indeed appeared the most likely outcome.

Long story short, no recommendations have been made at this stage and it’s very much a wait and see. One possibility is both females could transfer out and a new tigress brought in to pair with Ramah. The keeper I spoke to on Thursday said due to Ramah’s temperament, it’s likely he would remain at Auckland rather than Zayana.

Zayana:

View attachment 744552

Cahya:

View attachment 744553

Interesting news, although it's not unusual to have a recommendation not placed yet considering Zayana isn't ready to breed as of yet.

Being valuable founders, I'd doubt the region would keep the pair at Auckland in a non breeding situation for a while, so hopefully a decision will soon be made.

I can understand why they may be hesitant to pair Ramah and Zayana together again, as we wouldn't want too many Ramah x Zayana cubs going down the line. But surely since they only had one cub from their previous litter, there might be a recommendation for another litter.

I guess it's possible the region and the global coordinators also don't want too many cubs from either individual. So if this pair is given another recommendation and Zayana births say four or so cubs, that could hinder her chances of getting a recommendation to be re-paired, which the region would highly desire due to her being a founding female.

In the case the females were to be transferred out, there's really only a few options they could go. Both being valuable, it's reasonable to assume they'll head into a breeding situation.

As has previously been mentioned in the thread, Orana is an almost certainty. The other facility is far more difficult to assess. Australia is a chance if they want to breed from any of Kaitlyn's sons there. Breeding from Aceh at the National Zoo should also be a priority, so a last ditch attempt to breed from him, although unlikely, could be possible.

Taronga is the last and perhaps most likely of all the options. We've anticipated the plan is for them to bring in a male to be paired with Tengah following her siblings departure to the USA next year. However, in the case Zayana or Cahya becomes available, they could easily swap her, sending her to Auckland to be paired with Ramah and pairing the female being sent in return with Clarence or Kembali (if they wish to continue the Nico x Meta line at the zoo).

 

[Zoofan15]

Interesting news, although it's not unusual to have a recommendation not placed yet considering Zayana isn't ready to breed as of yet.

Being valuable founders, I'd doubt the region would keep the pair at Auckland in a non breeding situation for a while, so hopefully a decision will soon be made.

I can understand why they may be hesitant to pair Ramah and Zayana together again, as we wouldn't want too many Ramah x Zayana cubs going down the line. But surely since they only had one cub from their previous litter, there might be a recommendation for another litter.

I guess it's possible the region and the global coordinators also don't want too many cubs from either individual. So if this pair is given another recommendation and Zayana births say four or so cubs, that could hinder her chances of getting a recommendation to be re-paired, which the region would highly desire due to her being a founding female.

In the case the females were to be transferred out, there's really only a few options they could go. Both being valuable, it's reasonable to assume they'll head into a breeding situation.

As has previously been mentioned in the thread, Orana is an almost certainty. The other facility is far more difficult to assess. Australia is a chance if they want to breed from any of Kaitlyn's sons there. Breeding from Aceh at the National Zoo should also be a priority, so a last ditch attempt to breed from him, although unlikely, could be possible.

Taronga is the last and perhaps most likely of all the options. We've anticipated the plan is for them to bring in a male to be paired with Tengah following her siblings departure to the USA next year. However, in the case Zayana or Cahya becomes available, they could easily swap her, sending her to Auckland to be paired with Ramah and pairing the female being sent in return with Clarence or Kembali (if they wish to continue the Nico x Meta line at the zoo).

The pairing of Ramah and Zayana was unusual in that the vast majority of the region’s founders were paired to tigers already within the region and not each other. With the exception of the two founder pairs (Nico/Meta and Frank/Poetry), the only founder-founder pairing to produce cubs was Raja and Soraya, who produced five daughters. It’s unfortunate they never produced a son together as he would have had numerous matches. It’s equally unfortunate that Tuan and Assiqua never produced cubs as that was another founder-founder pairing.

Another litter from Ramah and Zayana consisting of a single cub or twins could well see those being paired; but if the litter contained three or four cubs, it wouldn’t be surprising to see 1-2 of them designated non-breeding. A similar pattern has been observed from the offspring of founders imported over the past two decades.

The most likely matches for Zayana and Cahya are the following in my opinion:

1.0 Aceh (09/02/2010) Ramalon x Binjai
1.0 Mati (21/08/2010) Lari x Soraya
1.0 Indra (21/08/2010) Lari x Soraya
1.0 Reggie (31/03/2016) Satu x Maneki
1.0 Nelson (03/06/2019) Ranu x Kaitlyn
1.0 Malcolm (18/02/2020) Ranu x Kaitlyn
1.0 Ketambe (21/12/2022) Kembali x Delilah

The first four are effectively the last hope to ensure representation of their respective founder mothers.

The collection/storage of Bashi’s gametes at Wellington could be a potential game-changer, though a better option would have been to have paired him and Zayana upon her arrival two years ago in my opinion. AI in tigers has yet to be perfected to the point it could be considered a viable alternative to natural breeding.

 

[Zoofan15]

Upcoming Export

In addition to the 1.1 Sumatran tigers being exported from Taronga Zoo, Adelaide are planning to export a male according to @Cheetah in the Zoo Miami news thread.

Adelaide Zoo have two males, but since the eldest is 10 years old, it seems reasonable to assume his 22 month old son is the intended export:

1.0 Kembali (16/11/2014) Oz x Sali
1.0 Ketambe (21/12/2022) Kembali x Delilah

Furthermore, Ketambe is the grandson of Kaitlyn, a genetically valuable founder, whose only other descendants within the North American population will be Penmanah and Mawar.

 

[Zoofan15]

Sumatran Tiger Updates

Australia Zoo - Singha has Died:

Singha has passed away aged 20 years. She was the only eldest Sumatran tiger in the region at the time of her death. Her death reduces Australia Zoo’s holdings to 3.3 tigers.

Oldest living Sumatran tigers in Australasia:

1.0 Satu (28/10/2006) Ramalon x Binjai
0.1 Indah (31/03/2007) Raja x Soraya
1.0 Bashi (04/12/2007) Imported 2008
0.1 Kaitlyn (04/12/2007) Imported 2008
0.1 Sali (10/04/2008) Hari x Setia

Auckland Zoo - Update on Cahya:

From socials:

Now a year old, Cahya is becoming more independent and sassy. She truly is a ‘mini me’ of her mum Zayana and has started to take her cue with ‘chatting’ (vocalising) when she sees us keepers.

She is an absolute superstar with her voluntary healthcare training where we’re training to be able to weigh her and take blood draws in the future if needed.

Cahya continues to enjoy playing and wrestling with her mum – a great way to learn - as well as swim and play in the pool when big cat appropriate ‘toys’ are provided by our carnivore team.

At almost 60kgs, Cahya is still growing and is smaller than her mum Zayana – though our keepers say it is getting trickier to tell them apart when viewing footage from the night monitoring cameras each morning!

Updated population list coming soon

 

[Zoofan15]

Australasian Sumatran Tiger Population 2025

2024 was an eventful year, namely for the first week of January, which saw two litters of Sumatran tiger cubs born within a day of each other at Auckland and Hamilton Zoo.

There are three known upcoming exports. Siblings Penmanah and Mawar are going to the Memphis Zoo and Point Defiance Zoo; while a male from Adelaide is reportedly scheduled for export to the US also. This male is likely Ketambe (2022); but could also be his father Kembali (2014).

New Zealand

Auckland Zoo:

1.0 Ramah (08/07/2017) Imported 2022
0.1 Zayana (15/10/2018) Imported 2022
0.1 Cahya (02/01/2024) Ramah x Zayana

Hamilton Zoo:

0.1 Sali (10/04/2008) Hari x Setia
0.1 Kirana (16/11/2014) Oz x Sali
1.0 Scout (08/02/2016) Juma x Kaitlyn
0.1 Mayang (03/01/2024) Scout x Kirana
0.1 Andalas (03/01/2024) Scout x Kirana

Wellington Zoo:

1.0 Bashi (04/12/2007) Imported 2008
0.1 Senja (21/08/2010) Lari x Soraya

Orana Wildlife Park:

1.0 Reggie (31/03/2016) Satu x Maneki

Australia

Adelaide Zoo:

1.0 Kembali (16/11/2014) Oz x Sali
0.1 Delilah (08/02/2016) Juma x Kaitlyn
1.0 Ketambe (21/12/2022) Kembali x Delilah
0.1 Marni (21/12/2022) Kembali x Delilah
0.1 Susu (21/12/2022) Kembali x Delilah

Australia Zoo:

0.1 Kaitlyn (04/12/2007) Imported 2008
1.0 Hunter (22/08/2013) Ramalon x Kaitlyn
1.0 Nelson (03/06/2019) Ranu x Kaitlyn
1.0 Malcolm (18/02/2020) Ranu x Kaitlyn
0.1 Sallie (18/02/2020) Ranu x Kaitlyn
0.1 Sage (18/02/2020) Ranu x Kaitlyn

Darling Downs Zoo:

0.1 Rani (09/02/2010) Ramalon x Binjai

Dreamworld:

0.1 Jaya (09/06/2008) Raja x Soraya
0.1 Shanti (09/06/2008) Raja x Soraya

Melbourne Zoo:

1.0 Hutan (09/02/2010) Ramalon x Binjai
0.1 Indrah (09/02/2010) Ramalon x Binjai

Mogo Zoo:

1.0 Mati (21/08/2010) Lari x Soraya
1.0 Indra (21/08/2010) Lari x Soraya

National Zoo:

0.1 Ndari (09/06/2008) Raja x Soraya
1.0 Aceh (09/02/2010) Ramalon x Binjai

Perth Zoo:

1.0 Jaya (20/08/2008) Hari x Setia

Taronga Zoo:

1.0 Kembali (20/08/2011) Satu x Jumilah
0.1 Kartika (20/08/2011) Satu x Jumilah
1.0 Clarence (22/08/2013) Ramalon x Kaitlyn
1.0 Pemanah (17/01/2019) Clarence x Kartika
0.1 Mawar (17/01/2019) Clarence x Kartika
0.1 Tengah Malam (17/01/2019) Clarence x Kartika

Taronga Western Plains Zoo:

1.0 Satu (28/10/2006) Ramalon x Binjai
0.1 Indah (31/03/2007) Raja x Soraya
1.0 Sakti (20/08/2011) Satu x Jumilah

Tasmania Zoo:

0.1 Cinta (12/06/2008) Oz x Molek

Total regional population: 19.23 tigers

 

[Zoofan15]

Hamilton Zoo - Update on Andalas and Mayang:

From socials:

It’s been an absolute delight watching the cubs grow and develop over the past year. When they were first born and growing their keepers needed ways to ID them. Luckily, they were already showing quite distinct personalities. One was a little fiery, hissing at keepers and reluctant to participate in her weekly weighing sessions, and so she was nicknamed ‘Spicy’. The other was very different, not so vocal and usually seen relaxing or sleeping, and so ‘Potato’ was born.

Since then, they have been given their official names, Andalas and Mayang. Their personalities have continued to develop and they are both still very different from one another. Andalas aka ‘Potato’ is now miss independent. She doesn’t need mum or her sister around, she is happy doing her own thing and can be quite stubborn at times, just like her mother Kirana. She still has some of her sleepy ‘Potato’ qualities, but she has picked up some sass along the way.

Mayang aka ‘Spicy’ is more of a mummy’s girl. Whenever you see Kirana, you know Mayang won’t be far behind, tripping her up as she goes. She is a very chatty girl and likes to let her keepers know she’s around and in need of attention. She is very sweet natured, which is a trait she shares with her Grandma, Sali.

 

[Jaiden]

Hi does anyone know what will happen to the Perth zoo Tiger exhibit. All I have heard is that Perth zoo won’t touch his exhibit intill Jaya passes.

 

[Zoofan15]

Hi does anyone know what will happen to the Perth zoo Tiger exhibit. All I have heard is that Perth zoo won’t touch his exhibit intill Jaya passes.

It’s a little unclear as while the original plan was for a rotational exhibit with sun bears etc. this appears to have been dropped from the latest version of the masterplan (perhaps due in part to the difficulty in sourcing more sun bear when their pair pass).

Sumatran tiger are a popular species, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see them remain at the zoo with a redevelopment of their enclosure and possibly a link to the Sumatran orangutan complex. It’s my belief Perth will be a non-breeding holder going forward, given there are plenty of facilities well equipped to breed.

Auckland Zoo, Taronga Zoo and Orana Wildlife Park each have three on display exhibits (and Taronga additionally has two off display exhibits). Adelaide Zoo and Hamilton Zoo are both planning to build a third Sumatran tiger exhibit; and Australia Zoo and the National Zoo’s facilities are both well equipped for future breeding.

 

[Zoofan15]

Upcoming Export

In addition to the 1.1 Sumatran tigers being exported from Taronga Zoo, Adelaide are planning to export a male according to @Cheetah in the Zoo Miami news thread.

Adelaide Zoo have two males, but since the eldest is 10 years old, it seems reasonable to assume his 22 month old son is the intended export:

1.0 Kembali (16/11/2014) Oz x Sali
1.0 Ketambe (21/12/2022) Kembali x Delilah

Furthermore, Ketambe is the grandson of Kaitlyn, a genetically valuable founder, whose only other descendants within the North American population will be Penmanah and Mawar.

Confirmation of Adelaide Zoo export:

A massive thank you to @Swanson02 for confirmation the male to be exported is Ketambe (2022). He’s scheduled to leave for a US zoo in 4-5 months (possibly the Taronga Zoo exports could be looking at a similar timeline).

@Swanson02 additionally advised one of the female cubs is planned to transfer out in the future, which will leave Adelaide Zoo with 1.2 tigers.

 

[Zoofan15]

Auckland Zoo Update

Update from my visit (15/02/2025):

1.0 Ramah (08/07/2017) Imported 2022
0.1 Zayana (15/10/2018) Imported 2022
0.1 Cahya (02/01/2024) Ramah x Zayana

Ramah had access to both the small and medium exhibits and was very active on my visit, crossing the overhead tunnel at least twice and continuously patrolling both exhibits.

Cahya was alone in the large exhibit on my visit, which means Zayana was BOH. She was eating a piece of meat so it’s unclear whether this was to give her chance to eat without her mother’s interference; or whether they’re beginning to transition her to living independently from Zayana, given 12-18 months is when captive female Sumatran tigers typically begin to drive their cubs out. This can of course be artificially extended by contracepting the tigress, though I can’t imagine them wanting to do that since Zayana is required for future breeding.

Regarding breeding plans, the keeper I spoke to seemed more optimistic than the last that Ramah and Zayana will be given a repeat breeding recommendation. I’ve long believed this is the obvious move given their first breeding recommendation (which yielded a single surviving cub) would have taken into account the possibility of up to four cubs, with a plan to pair at least 2-3 of those with mates.

The keeper additionally advised that before a breeding recommendation is given, they will need to wait for a recommendation on where to send Cahya. Again no decision has been made on this; but considering transferring her to Orana Wildlife Park (who have three exhibits and a genetically valuable male) appears the obvious move, I’m wondering if they’re waiting for Orana’s current situation to resolve before assessing alternatives in the (unlikely) event they’re unable to receive Cahya. Orana Wildlife Park is a fantastic zoo with knowledgeable and dedicated staff, so I have my fingers crossed everything works out for them.

Cahya (13 months old):

 

[Tiger91]

Bets on she goes to Taronga, they are retaining a male of there last litter. She would give them the ability to breed again.

 

[Zoofan15]

Bets on she goes to Taronga, they are retaining a male of there last litter. She would give them the ability to breed again.

Applications have been put in to export Taronga’s young male tiger (born 2019) to the US, along with his sister; and a male from Adelaide - all of which should happen this year.

I believe you’re referring to Taronga retaining their littermate, a female named Tengah, who I had speculated was the intended mate of Auckland’s male cub (which unfortunately died). Considering it will a while before that pair breed again (assuming a repeat breeding recommendation follows) and any theoretical son would then need three years to mature; I’d say it’s likely they will look at other options - one of the two males at Mogo are among the most distantly related options to pair with Tengah from within the region.

 

[Tiger91]

Applications have been put in to export Taronga’s young male tiger (born 2019) to the US, along with his sister; and a male from Adelaide - all of which should happen this year.

I believe you’re referring to Taronga retaining their littermate, a female named Tengah, who I had speculated was the intended mate of Auckland’s male cub (which unfortunately died). Considering it will a while before that pair breed again (assuming a repeat breeding recommendation follows) and any theoretical son would then need three years to mature; I’d say it’s likely they will look at other options - one of the two males at Mogo are among the most distantly related options to pair with Tengah from within the region.

Ah dam, for some reason I thought she was a male.

 

[Jambo]

I certainly hope to see a rejuvenation of the regional Sumatran tiger population. Like you say, a number of the zoos have ageing tigers - including Perth, Melbourne, Tasmania, Dubbo, Wellington, Darling Downs, Dreamworld and Mogo for Sumatrans; and Sydney for generics.

I’m hopeful for some imports in the coming years - especially Taronga, who have a female intended for future breeding, but limited options without resorting to inbreeding. Auckland’s pair will ideally produce another litter, but they alone can’t sustain succession for the next couple of decades.

Just my opinion, but I feel the management of the numerous founders we imported as a region in the 2000’s could have been managed better. There was only two matches between founder to founder; only one of which produced offspring. Instead of producing a second litter with Ramalon, Binjai could have been paired with Oz etc

Considering Taronga's connections I really wouldn't be surprised if they eventually imported a mate for Tengah following the departure of her siblings to the USA. It's really good to see they've managed to be placed over there (in breeding situations) rather than having to be accommodated here as surplus.

Auckland's pair should receive another recommendation. Reggie at Orana should be paired up. And it will also be interesting to see what happens with both Adelaide's and Australia's tigers. It looks like both facilities intend to continue breeding asap.

 

[Zoofan15]

Considering Taronga's connections I really wouldn't be surprised if they eventually imported a mate for Tengah following the departure of her siblings to the USA. It's really good to see they've managed to be placed over there (in breeding situations) rather than having to be accommodated here as surplus.

Auckland's pair should receive another recommendation. Reggie at Orana should be paired up. And it will also be interesting to see what happens with both Adelaide's and Australia's tigers. It looks like both facilities intend to continue breeding asap.

I’d like to see Taronga Zoo import a male to pair with Tengah, with that male than paired with Zayana after she has produced a second surviving litter with Ramah. During that time frame, a female could then be imported to pair with Ramah at Auckland Zoo, where the plan is for him to remain long term.

Two litters from Ramah and Zayana should be sufficient, hopefully adding 2-3 more offspring to their list of descendants. Combined with Cahya, I’d expect a minimum of two to have applications to the breeding programme; with the remaining 1-2 cubs designated as non-breeding surplus. Kaitlyn at Australia Zoo (also a genetically valuable founder) produced eight surviving cubs, of which three have gone on to breed.

 

[Jambo]

I’d like to see Taronga Zoo import a male to pair with Tengah, with that male than paired with Zayana after she has produced a second surviving litter with Ramah. During that time frame, a female could then be imported to pair with Ramah at Auckland Zoo, where the plan is for him to remain long term.

Two litters from Ramah and Zayana should be sufficient, hopefully adding 2-3 more offspring to their list of descendants. Combined with Cahya, I’d expect a minimum of two to have applications to the breeding programme; with the remaining 1-2 cubs designated as non-breeding surplus. Kaitlyn at Australia Zoo (also a genetically valuable founder) produced eight surviving cubs, of which three have gone on to breed.

I like these predictions!

Cahya heading down to Orana is all but guaranteed imo. It's really the best move from a genetic stand point. Reggie really needs to breed asap. He's the only surviving offspring of his mother (a founder) and through his father (another founder), he essentially only has one half sister who'll be breeding - Tengah at Taronga.

It was reported Adelaide intend to send one of their girls elsewhere; which was surprising considering most of us thought this pair would be moved to a non breeding facility as a pair. It's possible whichever female is being sent away is being sent to NZ, however I would be surprised when there's much better mates for him regionally.

Australia Zoo's much more difficult to predict however the most obvious option for them would be sending the two girls elsewhere (perhaps to a non breeding facility) and then acquiring girls to pair with their two youngest males (Nelson and Malcolm).

I think once a lot of the older tigers pass and space is freed up we'll see a lot of dominos fall ie. surplus tigers waiting for regional placement moved in replacement and then tigers consequently imported/re-paired.

 

[Zoofan15]

I like these predictions!

Cahya heading down to Orana is all but guaranteed imo. It's really the best move from a genetic stand point. Reggie really needs to breed asap. He's the only surviving offspring of his mother (a founder) and through his father (another founder), he essentially only has one half sister who'll be breeding - Tengah at Taronga.

It was reported Adelaide intend to send one of their girls elsewhere; which was surprising considering most of us thought this pair would be moved to a non breeding facility as a pair. It's possible whichever female is being sent away is being sent to NZ, however I would be surprised when there's much better mates for him regionally.

Australia Zoo's much more difficult to predict however the most obvious option for them would be sending the two girls elsewhere (perhaps to a non breeding facility) and then acquiring girls to pair with their two youngest males (Nelson and Malcolm).

I think once a lot of the older tigers pass and space is freed up we'll see a lot of dominos fall ie. surplus tigers waiting for regional placement moved in replacement and then tigers consequently imported/re-paired.

Thank you, I took inspiration from the original plan for Wellington Zoo’s first breeding female Cantic (1992), who was the first import since the four founders (Nico/Meta and Frank/Poetry) and was then considered a genetically valuable tiger. The intention was to pair her with a new male after the death of her mate, Jambi, but this never eventuated. There had previously been talk of pairing her with a new mate following the birth of their first litter in 1996, which I suspect tied in with the plan to receive multiple US tigers in the late 90’s (which fell through). A male from this import was also planned for Auckland Zoo to breed with Nisha.

Auckland’s future plans will ultimately revolve around keeping Ramah on site (hopefully with a new female once Zayana has had a second litter and moved on). Being a male, they have more time to work with, so I could imagine Zayana moving out and Auckland retaining any surplus cubs from the second litter until space at Wellington etc. allows them to transfer out.

Long term, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Wellington redevelop what is now the sun bear exhibit to become a third Sumatran tiger exhibit. This is the only scenario I see them breeding in, with Auckland and Orana having three exhibits; and Hamilton planning a third exhibit. Wellington would otherwise remain non-breeding imo.

Hamilton Zoo currently have five tigers in three groupings, which could expand to four if Kirana can no longer be held with her cubs, which are approaching dispersal age. I imagine a female cub would be retain for future breeding; but only once Sali has passed on.

 

[Jambo]

Kembali and his twin sister at Hamilton Zoo (Kirana) are the only offspring of the founder Oz to breed in the region, so there’d definitely be value in their descendants - and potentially breeding from Kembali again (with Delilah). The only surprise to me was these twins were paired with twins (Scout and Delilah) - the result being four young females of equivalent genetic value (with a fifth, a male, soon to leave the region).

Presumably Ramah and Zayana at Auckland Zoo will produce a second litter, meaning I don’t anticipate Hamilton’s cubs to breed in New Zealand in the near future. It makes the most sense for their Australian counterparts to breed; perhaps with Hamilton’s cubs either remaining with their mother (if a cohesive trio can be maintained); or one or both of the cubs transfer to Wellington as and when their ageing pair pass on. Like Adelaide, Hamilton plan to build a third exhibit, but will otherwise have five tigers to rotate between their exhibits. I remain of the opinion that Cahya transferring to Orana to pair with Reggie is a strong likelihood.

Adelaide’s third exhibit will still be a while off, so further breeding may be delayed until then. Delilah is nine years old, so could comfortably wait at least another three years until it becomes more critical to breed (also bearing in mind Kembali will be in his mid-teens by then).

Due to Kirana's age too, I think we can see why Delilah and Kembali may be bred from again. Since Hamilton's cubs can preferably remain compatible in the long term, there will perhaps be more preference towards pairing one of Adelaide's young females for breeding in the future.

I can see why those two siblings ended up being paired with one another; looking at the population list there really weren't many other choices without pairing one of the girls with a much older, non proven male.

At the moment, we will only have the following breeding age individuals come next year;

1.0 Aceh (09/02/2010) Ramalon x Binjai
1.0 Mati (21/08/2010) Lari x Soraya
1.0 Indra (21/08/2010) Lari x Soraya
1.0 Kembali (20/08/2011) Satu x Jumilah
1.0 Sakti (20/08/2011) Satu x Jumilah
1.0 Clarence (22/08/2013) Ramalon x Kaitlyn
1.0 Kembali (16/11/2014) Oz x Sali
1.0 Scout (08/02/2016) Juma x Kaitlyn
1.0 Reggie (31/03/2016) Satu x Maneki
1.0 Ramah (08/07/2017) USA
1.0 Nelson (03/06/2019) Ranu x Kaitlyn
1.0 Malcolm (18/02/2020) Ranu x Kaitlyn

0.1 Delilah (08/02/2016) Juma x Kaitlyn
0.1 Zayana (15/10/2018) USA
0.1 Mawar (17/01/2019) Clarence x Kartika
0.1 Sallie (18/02/2020) Ranu x Kaitlyn
0.1 Sage (18/02/2020) Ranu x Kaitlyn
0.1 Marni (21/12/2022) Kembali x Delilah
0.1 Susu (21/12/2022) Kembali x Delilah
0.1 Cahya (02/01/2024) Ramah x Zayana
0.1 Mayang (03/01/2024) Scout x Kirana
0.1 Andalas (03/01/2024) Scout x Kirana

12.10 in total.

The only viable females as of right now are Delilah (2016), Zayana (2018), Mawar (2019) and sisters Sallie (2020) and Sage (2020). The former three will likely all breed soon; two of which are already paired. I wonder whether Taronga may be planning to import a male to pair with Mawar when you consider she has limited options regionally.

Due to males being able to breed until death, a lot more are listed above however realistically, we probably won't see the first six of the males breeding again. The next four will be/are in breeding situations and the same can likely be said about one or both of the brothers at Australia Zoo.