This was an interesting read, thank you. I'm pleased to hear of plans to breed from Reggie. I would hope, now Mencari has passed away, that Scout's transfer will occur sooner rather than later. I'm very glad to hear that it is planned for Ramah and Zayana to breed multiple times, given their genetic value within the region.
Australasian Sumatran Tiger Population
- Thread starter Zoofan15
- Start date
This was an interesting read, thank you. I'm pleased to hear of plans to breed from Reggie. I would hope, now Mencari has passed away, that Scout's transfer will occur sooner rather than later. I'm very glad to hear that it is planned for Ramah and Zayana to breed multiple times, given their genetic value within the region.
I haven’t heard anything regarding a specific female being paired with Reggie (just that Orana will be receiving a female), but given the available females in the region are either his first or second cousins, I’m hopeful the plan is for Orana to receive a female from Auckland Zoo’s first litter.
I would assess Reggie (at Orana) as being the priority to receive a mate from Ramah and Zayana’s first litter; but I can see pairings being made with the latest litters at Taronga Zoo, Australia Zoo and Adelaide Zoo in time.
Combined with other facilities holding ageing tigers (Perth, Mogo and Dreamworld), it’s not hard to imagine Auckland’s first litter transferring out promptly (18 months) and a second litter being bred within three years of the first.
It'll be interesting to see what both Taronga and Australia do with their latest cubs.
Taronga's come from a well represented line, so wouldn't be a priority, but I can see one of them possibly being paired with one of Ramah and Zayana's cubs. Taronga would have the space going forward; especially if they send some of their current individuals over to Dubbo to replace their ageing trio once they pass.
Australia's females will probably be retained for future breeding considering the rest of the females are all post reproductive now, but Indonesian imports would be beneficial.
It's also surprising to see just how many holders have ageing tigers (aged 12+); Dubbo, Tasmania, Perth, Mogo, National, Melbourne, Dreamworld, Darling Downs and Wellington. 9 out of 15 of the holders; with the remaining six (Adelaide, Australia, Taronga, Auckland, Hamilton and Orana) being the only current breeding facilities. With that in mind, I expect we can look forward to seeing a huge baby boom coming up similar to the one the region experienced in the late 2000's, early 2010's.
Taronga are very proud of their Sumatran tiger dynasty of which spanned five generations upon the birth of Jumilah’s litter in 2011 (and then doubled up by pairing the female cub Kartika with her second cousin) to breed the 2019 litter.
With this in mind, I anticipate one of those cubs will be bred with a cub from Ramah and Zayana’s litter around 2027. Delaying females from breeding until eight extends the intergenerational gaps (without leaving reproduction too late); while the more valuable intended mate from Auckland will be turning 3-4 years of age (reproductive age).
That baby boom is reason we have an ageing population now, so yes I can see a similar boom in the coming years. We may have just entered it with Adelaide and Auckland breeding; and Hamilton on the horizon. By the time Auckland are ready to breed again, Orana could be looking at breeding.
The keeper mentioned that Ballarat didn’t acquire more tigers due to no Sumatrans being available. I thought that was strange given the apparent surplus at Australia Zoo and Taronga Zoo. I’m wondering if those facilities were keen to retain their respective cubs for the purpose of housing a large cohesive group (up to four tigers in one exhibit).
This all makes sense to me. I would say that keeping larger groups together would be a reason for not having exported tigers from Australia Zoo or Taronga. Even though Sumatran Tigers are a solitary species, if littermates are cohesively living together, then keeping them together allows exhibit space to be used more effectively.
I am intrigued as to what will happen with Dreamworld. Now that they've stopped free contact with their tigers, it would be ideal if they could go back into breeding Sumatrans, but to do so, the animals need to be available, and that might not necessarily be the case. We shall wait and see.
I think the difference between the next potential baby boom and the baby booms of the past is the presence of one (or potentially two or three) breeding pairs unrelated to the Nico/Meta line. Sure, Soraya and Raja filled this place in the late 2000s, but most of the other births were essentially all related to each other.
That’s very true. Aside from efficiency of space, it’s also apparent replacing those tigers at Australia Zoo and Taronga Zoo wouldn’t be as simple as breeding more - the former no longer has viable breeding pairs; and in both instances, it would be breeding more cubs to take places that could be allocated to more genetically valuable tigers e.g. Auckland bred cubs.
I’m hopeful Dreamworld will return to breeding Sumatrans. A decrease in their population will mean less breeding, so the restrictions of the Sumatran breeding programme won’t be a hindrance. White tigers have had their day and may well be phased out following the death of Kiko and Kali.
Another one or two unrelated breeding pairs would be ideal. I always thought it was regrettable that Kaitlyn was bred with three males from the Nico-Meta line; while the brief attempt at pairing Bashi was with a great grandaughter of Nico and Meta. We sadly have a long history of importing founders to simply pair with Nico-Meta descendants (Assiqua, Binjai, Oz etc).
Population Forecasting
My third population forecast will focus on the region’s Sumatran tiger population.
This forecast appears more challenging on the surface compared to the variable litter size of this species and the short inter-generational gap (3-4 years). However, I will note that the breeding programme favours extending the inter-generational gap (see below); and the overwhelming majority of litters have consisted of two or three cubs.
Facts:
Sumatran tigers, like all felids, have a reasonably high mortality rate at the neonatal stage. For those that survive to adolescence, the mortality rate remains low until they enter mid-teens, which represents an average lifespan within the region. A handful of males have reached their late teens; while a handful of females have lived into their early 20’s - with 23 years being the regional record.
Males and females can potentially breed as young as three or four years of age. In previous decades, this was common practice; but due in part to the relatedness of the population, it’s been common to see females breeding for the first time around the age of six to eight. This has been identified as the happy medium of extending the inter-generational gap, while taking advantage of the female being at prime reproductive age.
Though the litter size of the Sumatran tiger can vary from 1-5 cubs, the vast majority of litters consist of either two or three cubs by the time the litter is three months old. There’s been serval litters in the region that began as quadruplets, but to date only one such litter saw all the cubs survive (Binjai at Melbourne Zoo, 2010).
Forecast:
The following is a speculatory forecast based on the above facts.
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My third population forecast will focus on the region’s Sumatran tiger population.
This forecast appears more challenging on the surface compared to the variable litter size of this species and the short inter-generational gap (3-4 years). However, I will note that the breeding programme favours extending the inter-generational gap (see below); and the overwhelming majority of litters have consisted of two or three cubs.
Facts:
Sumatran tigers, like all felids, have a reasonably high mortality rate at the neonatal stage. For those that survive to adolescence, the mortality rate remains low until they enter mid-teens, which represents an average lifespan within the region. A handful of males have reached their late teens; while a handful of females have lived into their early 20’s - with 23 years being the regional record.
Males and females can potentially breed as young as three or four years of age. In previous decades, this was common practice; but due in part to the relatedness of the population, it’s been common to see females breeding for the first time around the age of six to eight. This has been identified as the happy medium of extending the inter-generational gap, while taking advantage of the female being at prime reproductive age.
Though the litter size of the Sumatran tiger can vary from 1-5 cubs, the vast majority of litters consist of either two or three cubs by the time the litter is three months old. There’s been serval litters in the region that began as quadruplets, but to date only one such litter saw all the cubs survive (Binjai at Melbourne Zoo, 2010).
Forecast:
The following is a speculatory forecast based on the above facts.
Australasian Sumatran Tiger Population 2033 (Forecast)
Auckland Zoo:
1.0 Ramah (08/07/2017) Imported 2022
0.1 Adult I3 (00/00/2029) Imported 2030
Ramah and Zayana produced three litters in 2023, 2026 and 2028. These cubs have all been dispersed to other zoos and Zayana retired to Wellington Zoo.
Auckland Zoo imported an unrelated female from the US in 2030. Despite Ramah’s age, they hope to breed her with him next year (2034).
Hamilton Zoo:
0.1 Kirana (16/11/2014) Oz x Sali
1.0 Adult S/K (00/00/2024) Scout x Kirana
Scout arrived from Orana Wildlife Park in late 2023 and within the year, bred with Kirana to produce twins - one of which survived to adulthood. The offspring remains at the zoo.
Hamilton Zoo abandoned plans to build a third Sumatran tiger exhibit.
Scout recently passed and the zoo plans to receive a female from Wellington Zoo to pair with their male.
Wellington Zoo:
0.1 Zayana (15/10/2018) Imported 2022
1.0 Adult R/Z (00/00/2028) Ramah x Zayana
0.1 Adult R/Z (00/00/2028) Ramah x Zayana
Bashi and Senja never bred and following their passing, Wellington received Zayana from Auckland Zoo and the two offspring from her third litter. They currently occupy the zoo’s two exhibits - with plans for the female offspring to transfer to Hamilton Zoo in 2034.
Orana Wildlife Park:
0.1 Adult R/Z (00/00/2023) Ramah x Zayana
1.0 Adult R/R/Z (00/00/2031) Reggie x Adult R/Z
1.0 Adult R/R/Z (00/00/2031) Reggie x Adult R/Z
Due to lack of unrelated females in the region, Orana Wildlife Park received a female from Auckland Zoo’s first litter in 2026. She and Reggie produced twins in 2027 (now at Canberra) and twins in 2031.
Reggie has now passed. His latest offspring remain at Orana, which is currently non breeding.
Adelaide Zoo:
0.1 Delilah (08/02/2016) Juma x Kaitlyn
0.1 Susu (21/12/2022) Kembali x Delilah
1.0 Adult R/Z (00/00/2026) Ramah x Zayana
1.0 Adolescent R/Z/S (00/00/2031) Adult R/Z x Susu
1.0 Adolescent R/Z/S (00/00/2031) Adult R/Z x Susu
0.1 Adolescent R/Z/S (00/00/2031) Adult R/Z x Susu
Kembali is now deceased.
Adelaide imported a male from Ramah and Zayana’s second litter, which bred with Susu to produce three cubs.
Australia Zoo:
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
Singha, Kaitlyn and Hunter are deceased.
Australia Zoo hold four ageing siblings.
Darling Downs Zoo:
0.1 Rani (09/02/2010) Ramalon x Binjai
Rani is still alive aged 23 years and the zoo are hopeful she will exceed the regional record set by Mencari at Hamilton Zoo in 2023.
Dreamworld:
Dreamworld no longer hold Sumatran tigers.
Melbourne Zoo:
1.0 Adult I1 (00/00/2026) Imported 2028
0.1 Adult I2 (00/00/2026) Imported 2028
1.0 Juvenile I1/I2 (00/00/2033) Adult I1 x Adult I2
0.1 Juvenile I1/I2 (00/00/2033) Adult I1 x Adult I2
0.1 Juvenile I1/I2 (00/00/2033) Adult I1 x Adult I2
Hutan and Indah are now deceased.
Following their passing, Melbourne imported a pair from Europe. Their first litter, born 2030, is now at Mogo; and their second litter was born this year.
Mogo Zoo:
1.0 Adolescent I1/I2 (00/00/2030) Adult I1 x Adult I2
1.0 Adolescent I1/I2 (00/00/2030) Adult I1 x Adult I2
Indra and Mati are now deceased.
After a few years without tigers, Mogo Zoo received a sibling pair from the first litter born to Melbourne’s imported pair.
National Zoo:
1.0 Adult R/R/Z (00/00/2027) Reggie x Adult R/Z
1.0 Adult R/R/Z (00/00/2027) Reggie x Adult R/Z
Aceh and Ndari never bred and now hold a sibling pair from Orana. They were born to Reggie and the eldest daughter of Ramah and Zayana.
Canberra plan to receive a female from Melbourne’s latest litter in 2034. She will be paired with one of their males in the future.
Perth Zoo:
1.0 Ketambe (21/12/2022) Kembali x Delilah
0.1 Marni (21/12/2022) Kembali x Delilah
Jaya is now deceased. Perth received a sibling pair from Adelaide Zoo, following his death.
Taronga Zoo:
0.1 Mawar (17/01/2019) Clarence x Kartika
1.0 Adult R/Z (00/00/2023) Ramah x Zayana
1.0 Adult R/Z/M (00/00/2031) Adult R/Z x Mawar
0.1 Adult R/Z/M (00/00/2031) Adult R/Z x Mawar
Penmah and Tengah Malam transferred to Sydney Zoo in 2026, following the passing of their elderly hybrids.
Kembali, Clarence and Kartika transferred to Dubbo and are now deceased.
Taronga imported a male from Ramah and Zayana’s first litter and bred a litter of three cubs in 2027, that transferred to Dubbo; and a litter of two cubs in 2031 that remain at the zoo.
Taronga Western Plains Zoo:
1.0 Adult R/Z/M (00/00/2027) Adult R/Z x Mawar
1.0 Adult R/Z/M (00/00/2027) Adult R/Z x Mawar
0.1 Adult R/Z/M (00/00/2027) Adult R/Z x Mawar
Satu, Indah and Sakti are now deceased.
Kembali, Kartika and Clarence arrived from Taronga ahead of them recommencing breeding. They are now deceased.
Dubbo currently holds the cubs from the first litter of Taronga’s current breeding pair.
Tasmania Zoo:
1.0 Adult R/Z (00/00/2026) Ramah x Zayana
0.1 Adult R/Z (00/00/2026) Ramah x Zayana
Jalur and Cinta are now deceased.
They hold a sibling pair from Ramah and Zayana’s second litter.
Sydney Zoo:
1.0 Pemanah (17/01/2019) Clarence x Kartika
0.1 Tengah Malam (17/01/2019) Clarence x Kartika
Following the passing of their elderly hybrids, Sydney Zoo received a sibling pair from Taronga Zoo.
Auckland Zoo:
1.0 Ramah (08/07/2017) Imported 2022
0.1 Adult I3 (00/00/2029) Imported 2030
Ramah and Zayana produced three litters in 2023, 2026 and 2028. These cubs have all been dispersed to other zoos and Zayana retired to Wellington Zoo.
Auckland Zoo imported an unrelated female from the US in 2030. Despite Ramah’s age, they hope to breed her with him next year (2034).
Hamilton Zoo:
0.1 Kirana (16/11/2014) Oz x Sali
1.0 Adult S/K (00/00/2024) Scout x Kirana
Scout arrived from Orana Wildlife Park in late 2023 and within the year, bred with Kirana to produce twins - one of which survived to adulthood. The offspring remains at the zoo.
Hamilton Zoo abandoned plans to build a third Sumatran tiger exhibit.
Scout recently passed and the zoo plans to receive a female from Wellington Zoo to pair with their male.
Wellington Zoo:
0.1 Zayana (15/10/2018) Imported 2022
1.0 Adult R/Z (00/00/2028) Ramah x Zayana
0.1 Adult R/Z (00/00/2028) Ramah x Zayana
Bashi and Senja never bred and following their passing, Wellington received Zayana from Auckland Zoo and the two offspring from her third litter. They currently occupy the zoo’s two exhibits - with plans for the female offspring to transfer to Hamilton Zoo in 2034.
Orana Wildlife Park:
0.1 Adult R/Z (00/00/2023) Ramah x Zayana
1.0 Adult R/R/Z (00/00/2031) Reggie x Adult R/Z
1.0 Adult R/R/Z (00/00/2031) Reggie x Adult R/Z
Due to lack of unrelated females in the region, Orana Wildlife Park received a female from Auckland Zoo’s first litter in 2026. She and Reggie produced twins in 2027 (now at Canberra) and twins in 2031.
Reggie has now passed. His latest offspring remain at Orana, which is currently non breeding.
Adelaide Zoo:
0.1 Delilah (08/02/2016) Juma x Kaitlyn
0.1 Susu (21/12/2022) Kembali x Delilah
1.0 Adult R/Z (00/00/2026) Ramah x Zayana
1.0 Adolescent R/Z/S (00/00/2031) Adult R/Z x Susu
1.0 Adolescent R/Z/S (00/00/2031) Adult R/Z x Susu
0.1 Adolescent R/Z/S (00/00/2031) Adult R/Z x Susu
Kembali is now deceased.
Adelaide imported a male from Ramah and Zayana’s second litter, which bred with Susu to produce three cubs.
Australia Zoo:
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
Singha, Kaitlyn and Hunter are deceased.
Australia Zoo hold four ageing siblings.
Darling Downs Zoo:
0.1 Rani (09/02/2010) Ramalon x Binjai
Rani is still alive aged 23 years and the zoo are hopeful she will exceed the regional record set by Mencari at Hamilton Zoo in 2023.
Dreamworld:
Dreamworld no longer hold Sumatran tigers.
Melbourne Zoo:
1.0 Adult I1 (00/00/2026) Imported 2028
0.1 Adult I2 (00/00/2026) Imported 2028
1.0 Juvenile I1/I2 (00/00/2033) Adult I1 x Adult I2
0.1 Juvenile I1/I2 (00/00/2033) Adult I1 x Adult I2
0.1 Juvenile I1/I2 (00/00/2033) Adult I1 x Adult I2
Hutan and Indah are now deceased.
Following their passing, Melbourne imported a pair from Europe. Their first litter, born 2030, is now at Mogo; and their second litter was born this year.
Mogo Zoo:
1.0 Adolescent I1/I2 (00/00/2030) Adult I1 x Adult I2
1.0 Adolescent I1/I2 (00/00/2030) Adult I1 x Adult I2
Indra and Mati are now deceased.
After a few years without tigers, Mogo Zoo received a sibling pair from the first litter born to Melbourne’s imported pair.
National Zoo:
1.0 Adult R/R/Z (00/00/2027) Reggie x Adult R/Z
1.0 Adult R/R/Z (00/00/2027) Reggie x Adult R/Z
Aceh and Ndari never bred and now hold a sibling pair from Orana. They were born to Reggie and the eldest daughter of Ramah and Zayana.
Canberra plan to receive a female from Melbourne’s latest litter in 2034. She will be paired with one of their males in the future.
Perth Zoo:
1.0 Ketambe (21/12/2022) Kembali x Delilah
0.1 Marni (21/12/2022) Kembali x Delilah
Jaya is now deceased. Perth received a sibling pair from Adelaide Zoo, following his death.
Taronga Zoo:
0.1 Mawar (17/01/2019) Clarence x Kartika
1.0 Adult R/Z (00/00/2023) Ramah x Zayana
1.0 Adult R/Z/M (00/00/2031) Adult R/Z x Mawar
0.1 Adult R/Z/M (00/00/2031) Adult R/Z x Mawar
Penmah and Tengah Malam transferred to Sydney Zoo in 2026, following the passing of their elderly hybrids.
Kembali, Clarence and Kartika transferred to Dubbo and are now deceased.
Taronga imported a male from Ramah and Zayana’s first litter and bred a litter of three cubs in 2027, that transferred to Dubbo; and a litter of two cubs in 2031 that remain at the zoo.
Taronga Western Plains Zoo:
1.0 Adult R/Z/M (00/00/2027) Adult R/Z x Mawar
1.0 Adult R/Z/M (00/00/2027) Adult R/Z x Mawar
0.1 Adult R/Z/M (00/00/2027) Adult R/Z x Mawar
Satu, Indah and Sakti are now deceased.
Kembali, Kartika and Clarence arrived from Taronga ahead of them recommencing breeding. They are now deceased.
Dubbo currently holds the cubs from the first litter of Taronga’s current breeding pair.
Tasmania Zoo:
1.0 Adult R/Z (00/00/2026) Ramah x Zayana
0.1 Adult R/Z (00/00/2026) Ramah x Zayana
Jalur and Cinta are now deceased.
They hold a sibling pair from Ramah and Zayana’s second litter.
Sydney Zoo:
1.0 Pemanah (17/01/2019) Clarence x Kartika
0.1 Tengah Malam (17/01/2019) Clarence x Kartika
Following the passing of their elderly hybrids, Sydney Zoo received a sibling pair from Taronga Zoo.
It's simply forecasting based on past information and current known plans.
Creating a speculation thread solely for this would be a waste; and I think it's also important to get a good idea of where the population could potentially sit in a decades time.
It's all not completely 'speculation'.
I agree. There’s definitely not enough mileage in a forecast post to warrant its own thread.
I’ve undertaken forecast posts for three of the species I run population threads for; and there will be two more - elephants and gorillas. Other species like lions and otters have highly variable litter sizes, which would complicate such an exercise; and other species like Mandrill are a non starter for obvious reasons.
Like you say, the forecasts are based on facts and with the exception of predicted imports, derived entirely from projections of the current population.
Hamilton Zoo - New Male Sumatran Tiger
1.0 Scout (2016) has been transferred from Orana Wildlife Park to breed with Hamilton Zoo’s youngest tigress, 0.1 Kirana (2014).
Assuming an introduction period of 3-6 months, Hamilton Zoo could welcome cubs in the first half of 2024 - almost a decade after the birth of their last litter in November 2014.
Reported by @Matt_C in the Hamilton Zoo news thread.
1.0 Scout (2016) has been transferred from Orana Wildlife Park to breed with Hamilton Zoo’s youngest tigress, 0.1 Kirana (2014).
Assuming an introduction period of 3-6 months, Hamilton Zoo could welcome cubs in the first half of 2024 - almost a decade after the birth of their last litter in November 2014.
Reported by @Matt_C in the Hamilton Zoo news thread.
Auckand Zoo - Pregnancy Announcement
Fantastic news! Ramah and Zayana are expecting their first litter of cubs in September. This will be the first litter of Sumatran tigers born at Auckland Zoo since 2008.
Ultrasound reveals ultra good news for tiger Zayana | Auckland Zoo News
On the eve of #InternationalTigerDay, we’re delighted to share that an ultrasound has confirmed that Sumatran tiger Zayana is now six-weeks pregnant.
While we're incredibly excited about the pregnancy, Zayana still has to achieve carrying to term, have no birthing difficulties, and then rise to challenge and all the demands that come with being a first-time mum.
All going well, Zayana would give birth in September, however it wouldn’t be until closer to Christmas before she would bring her cub(s) into our Lowlands habitat.
Fantastic news! Ramah and Zayana are expecting their first litter of cubs in September. This will be the first litter of Sumatran tigers born at Auckland Zoo since 2008.
Ultrasound reveals ultra good news for tiger Zayana | Auckland Zoo News
On the eve of #InternationalTigerDay, we’re delighted to share that an ultrasound has confirmed that Sumatran tiger Zayana is now six-weeks pregnant.
While we're incredibly excited about the pregnancy, Zayana still has to achieve carrying to term, have no birthing difficulties, and then rise to challenge and all the demands that come with being a first-time mum.
All going well, Zayana would give birth in September, however it wouldn’t be until closer to Christmas before she would bring her cub(s) into our Lowlands habitat.
Orana Wildlife Park’s Breeding Plans
As mentioned in their post on socials yesterday, Orana Wildlife Park are hopeful of a recommendation of a female to pair with Reggie in the future:
1.0 Reggie (31/03/2016) Satu x Maneki
As the only shared offspring of two founders, Reggie is one of the most genetically valuable males in the region (after Bashi and Ramah).
Current Options for Reggie
Removing all females that are already paired or post-reproductive leaves the following six options:
0.1 Mawar (17/01/2019) Clarence x Kartika
0.1 Tengah Malam (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[/SPOILER]
All six of these females are related to Reggie:
Clarence x Kartika pairing: Clarence is Reggie’s maternal first cousin; Kartika is Reggie’s paternal half sister.
Ranu x Kaitlyn pairing: Kaitlyn is Reggie’s maternal aunt.
Kembali x Delilah pairing: Delilah is Reggie’s maternal first cousin.
Future Options for Reggie
Unless Orana Wildlife Park import from outside the region (unlikely), I foresee two options for sourcing a female:
1. Auckland Zoo (best option overall):
This is the obvious choice from a genetic perspective. Ramah and Zayana are founders and have a litter due in September. There’s no guarantee of a female cub, but this appears to be the best option.
2. Hamilton Zoo (second best option):
Of the six females available above, the most distantly related are the seven month old sisters at Adelaide. They’re second cousins to Reggie. Since their father’s twin is being paired with their mother’s twin at Hamilton Zoo, the same genetic match is essentially being made at Hamilton Zoo. Assuming a similar introduction timeframe to Auckland Zoo, Hamilton could have cubs by mid-2024.
Again no guarantee of a female, but since Adelaide’s cubs won’t be reproductive until 2025-2026, it makes sense from a logistics perspective to see if Hamilton can produce a female cub to form the equivalent match within New Zealand. The time delay versus sourcing an Adelaide cub would be 12-18 months, which is negligible considering Reggie is only seven years of age.
As mentioned in their post on socials yesterday, Orana Wildlife Park are hopeful of a recommendation of a female to pair with Reggie in the future:
1.0 Reggie (31/03/2016) Satu x Maneki
As the only shared offspring of two founders, Reggie is one of the most genetically valuable males in the region (after Bashi and Ramah).
Current Options for Reggie
Removing all females that are already paired or post-reproductive leaves the following six options:
0.1 Mawar (17/01/2019) Clarence x Kartika
0.1 Tengah Malam (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[/SPOILER]
All six of these females are related to Reggie:
Clarence x Kartika pairing: Clarence is Reggie’s maternal first cousin; Kartika is Reggie’s paternal half sister.
Ranu x Kaitlyn pairing: Kaitlyn is Reggie’s maternal aunt.
Kembali x Delilah pairing: Delilah is Reggie’s maternal first cousin.
Future Options for Reggie
Unless Orana Wildlife Park import from outside the region (unlikely), I foresee two options for sourcing a female:
1. Auckland Zoo (best option overall):
This is the obvious choice from a genetic perspective. Ramah and Zayana are founders and have a litter due in September. There’s no guarantee of a female cub, but this appears to be the best option.
2. Hamilton Zoo (second best option):
Of the six females available above, the most distantly related are the seven month old sisters at Adelaide. They’re second cousins to Reggie. Since their father’s twin is being paired with their mother’s twin at Hamilton Zoo, the same genetic match is essentially being made at Hamilton Zoo. Assuming a similar introduction timeframe to Auckland Zoo, Hamilton could have cubs by mid-2024.
Again no guarantee of a female, but since Adelaide’s cubs won’t be reproductive until 2025-2026, it makes sense from a logistics perspective to see if Hamilton can produce a female cub to form the equivalent match within New Zealand. The time delay versus sourcing an Adelaide cub would be 12-18 months, which is negligible considering Reggie is only seven years of age.
Auckland Zoo - Zayana Due Soon
This morning, Auckland Zoo’s Sumatran tiger complex was closed.
By midday, the medium and large exhibits had been reopened with Ramah on display; while Zayana remained off display, with access to the small exhibit (which remained closed the whole day).
Staff were observing Zayana the whole day, suggesting the birth may be soon. Her official due date is mid-September.
This morning, Auckland Zoo’s Sumatran tiger complex was closed.
By midday, the medium and large exhibits had been reopened with Ramah on display; while Zayana remained off display, with access to the small exhibit (which remained closed the whole day).
Staff were observing Zayana the whole day, suggesting the birth may be soon. Her official due date is mid-September.
Auckland Zoo - Loss of Zayana’s Litter
Zayana gave birth to two cubs September 1, but one was stillborn and she killed the remaining cub. It’s dissapointing news, but Zayana is young and will hopefully experience a more successful outcome next time.
I commend Auckland Zoo for their openness and insight into an unfortunate, but natural event.
Sumatran tiger Zayana update | Auckland Zoo News
Our female tiger Zayana, a first-time mother, gave birth last Friday afternoon - but unfortunately, one of the cubs was stillborn and the other did not survive.
Having a larger litter size offers Sumatran tigers the best chance of successfully rearing young, so when only one cub is born – a vulnerable situation, it’s not unusual for a tiger mother to kill the remaining cub, which is what has happened here.
Zayana will shortly come back into oestrus and will once again have the opportunity to mate with male Ramah. All going well, we hope she will go on to produce a litter of healthy cubs. Importantly, Zayana’s own health and wellbeing is good. After an exhausting couple of days, she has had plenty of rest and care from the carnivore team.
Zayana gave birth to two cubs September 1, but one was stillborn and she killed the remaining cub. It’s dissapointing news, but Zayana is young and will hopefully experience a more successful outcome next time.
I commend Auckland Zoo for their openness and insight into an unfortunate, but natural event.
Sumatran tiger Zayana update | Auckland Zoo News
Our female tiger Zayana, a first-time mother, gave birth last Friday afternoon - but unfortunately, one of the cubs was stillborn and the other did not survive.
Having a larger litter size offers Sumatran tigers the best chance of successfully rearing young, so when only one cub is born – a vulnerable situation, it’s not unusual for a tiger mother to kill the remaining cub, which is what has happened here.
Zayana will shortly come back into oestrus and will once again have the opportunity to mate with male Ramah. All going well, we hope she will go on to produce a litter of healthy cubs. Importantly, Zayana’s own health and wellbeing is good. After an exhausting couple of days, she has had plenty of rest and care from the carnivore team.
Auckland Zoo’s Stance on Handraising
While the general public have overall been supportive of Auckland Zoo (with several praising their transparency), the inevitable question has come up of why they didn’t intervene to remove the cub.
One such question on socials received this response, indicating the zoo are not willing to hand raise cubs:
In this case, it would be neither practical or appropriate for staff to intervene. This is absolutely about letting nature take its course, as it is vitally important to a cub's development to be reared by its mother.
I believe this is a perfectly reasonable stance given the lifelong impact hand raising can have on cubs. Hand raised tigers (male and female) have failed to breed with mother raised mates in the past and there’s been incidences (both within the region and overseas) of hand raised females being killed during introductions.
Peer raised tigers (e.g. Sali) have fared better, though with the move to protected contact at Australia Zoo and Dreamworld, this will likely no longer be an option going forward.
While the general public have overall been supportive of Auckland Zoo (with several praising their transparency), the inevitable question has come up of why they didn’t intervene to remove the cub.
One such question on socials received this response, indicating the zoo are not willing to hand raise cubs:
In this case, it would be neither practical or appropriate for staff to intervene. This is absolutely about letting nature take its course, as it is vitally important to a cub's development to be reared by its mother.
I believe this is a perfectly reasonable stance given the lifelong impact hand raising can have on cubs. Hand raised tigers (male and female) have failed to breed with mother raised mates in the past and there’s been incidences (both within the region and overseas) of hand raised females being killed during introductions.
Peer raised tigers (e.g. Sali) have fared better, though with the move to protected contact at Australia Zoo and Dreamworld, this will likely no longer be an option going forward.
Very unfortunate news to hear.
On the positive side, it’s good to hear Zayana was able to conceive quite quickly and delivered the cubs successfully. It’s not uncommon to see a first time mother lose her first litter; so I’m hopeful her next litter will be a different story.
Taking into account gestation; let’s hope for some cubs early next year!
Very unfortunate news to hear.
On the positive side, it’s good to hear Zayana was able to conceive quite quickly and delivered the cubs successfully. It’s not uncommon to see a first time mother lose her first litter; so I’m hopeful her next litter will be a different story.
Taking into account gestation; let’s hope for some cubs early next year!
Ramah and Zayana’s first cycle was essentially written off as a practice run; the same for the previous pair (Oz and Molek) who also conceived on the second attempt. Now they’ve got some practice in, I don’t doubt she’ll conceive just as readily next time around.
Female tigers can enter estrus within days of losing, so potentially mid-late December could see the zoo welcome a litter.
Any number of surviving cubs would be great, but I’m hopeful for two to increase the odds of a repeat breeding recommendation. I imagine a female for Orana is a priority.
I’m hopeful that Taman Safari may be able to supply us with cubs again in the future. Since the deal Taronga made with Ragunan Zoo in 2017 to source a pair fell through, this appears to be our best chance. Australia Zoo have a good working relationship with Taman Safari.
I understand the previous cubs were first generation offspring, born at Taman Safari to wild parents, who were either unreleasable; or housed at Taman Safari while they received treatment. I’d assume there’s a reasonable intake of wild rescues, but the Indonesian government permitting their export appears to be the issue.
Since AZ appear to be the only zoo that's received animals from TS and have bred a number of litters I wonder how many have made there way into other collections within the regions zoos!
Also I guess since they moved the Cheetahs out of the Tiger back enclosures they could have even more room to add/hold more Tigers.