Australasian Sumatran Tiger Population

Zorro said:
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.
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Good point, the region had greatly benefited from Australia Zoo’s import of the Indonesian cubs.

Two still remain in the region:

1.0 Bashi (04/12/2007) Imported 2008 WELLINGTON
0.1 Kaitlyn (04/12/2007) Imported 2008 BEERWAH

They have an additional 15 descendants:

1.0 Clarence (22/08/2013) Ramalon x Kaitlyn TARONGA
1.0 Hunter (22/08/2013) Ramalon x Kaitlyn BEERWAH
1.0 Scout (08/02/2016) Juma x Kaitlyn HAMILTON
0.1 Delilah (08/02/2016) Juma x Kaitlyn ADELAIDE
1.0 Reggie (31/03/2016) Satu x Maneki ORANA
1.0 Pemanah (17/01/2019) Clarence x Kartika TARONGA
0.1 Mawar (17/01/2019) Clarence x Kartika TARONGA
0.1 Tengah Malam (17/01/2019) Clarence x Kartika TARONGA
1.0 Nelson (03/06/2019) Ranu x Kaitlyn BEERWAH
1.0 Ketambe (21/12/2022) Kembali x Delilah ADELAIDE
0.1 Marni (21/12/2022) Kembali x Delilah ADELAIDE
0.1 Susu (21/12/2022) Kembali x Delilah ADELAIDE
1.0 Malcolm (18/02/2020) Ranu x Kaitlyn BEERWAH
0.1 Sallie (18/02/2020) Ranu x Kaitlyn BEERWAH
0.1 Sage (18/02/2020) Ranu x Kaitlyn BEERWAH

Australia Zoo also transferred out their remaining hybrids, streamlining their tiger population to purebred Sumatrans.
 
Ramah and Zayana reintroduced for mating:

Fingers crossed for a successful litter late 2023!

Auckland Zoo’s tigers Zayana and Ramah reunited for mating | Auckland Zoo News

We’re really pleased to share that Sumatran tiger Zayana came back into oestrus last week, meaning that she and male Ramah could once again come together to mate.

Our Carnivore senior keeper Nick says in this latest oestrus period the pair have reconnected exceptionally well, been extremely respectful of each other, and they’ve seen a real progression in their natural mating behaviours.

In the coming weeks we’ll be monitoring Zayana closely to see whether or not she comes back into oestrus. If she does fall pregnant, then it’s likely she could give birth near the end of the year. But as always, there is a long way to go yet and so we’re just taking one step at a time!
 
Zoofan15 said:
Ramah and Zayana reintroduced for mating:

Fingers crossed for a successful litter late 2023!

Auckland Zoo’s tigers Zayana and Ramah reunited for mating | Auckland Zoo News

We’re really pleased to share that Sumatran tiger Zayana came back into oestrus last week, meaning that she and male Ramah could once again come together to mate.

Our Carnivore senior keeper Nick says in this latest oestrus period the pair have reconnected exceptionally well, been extremely respectful of each other, and they’ve seen a real progression in their natural mating behaviours.

In the coming weeks we’ll be monitoring Zayana closely to see whether or not she comes back into oestrus. If she does fall pregnant, then it’s likely she could give birth near the end of the year. But as always, there is a long way to go yet and so we’re just taking one step at a time!
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Tiger cubs seem to becoming a rare event in our region these days.
 
Zorro said:
Tiger cubs seem to becoming a rare event in our region these days.
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I’m hopeful we’re just entering a baby boom of tiger cubs. Adelaide welcomed triplets in December 2022 and following what will hopefully be a successful litter for Auckland Zoo in December 2023, I expect Hamilton Zoo will welcome cubs in 2024. We could potentially have up to 10 cubs, all born within 18 months of each other.

Hopefully we don’t lose anymore founders. Upon the passing of their elderly male, Perth Zoo will hopefully source more (they’re in the masterplan); and Sydney Zoo may well return to holding them when their elderly hybrids pass.
 
Tasmania Zoo - Jalur (2008-2023)

Sadly, Tasmania Zoo have announced the passing of Jalur. He was part of the first litter of Sumatran tigers born at Auckland Zoo in 2008 and many people who followed the Zoo TV series would have enjoyed seeing him grow into young adulthood, before his export to Australia.

He was named ‘Jalur’, which is Indonesian for ‘stripes’ due to his thick black markings, similar to that of his father.

Tasmania Zoo - Tasmania Zoo is heartbroken to announce the...

Jalur was 15 years old and was closely monitored by Tasmania Zoo’s veterinary team, tests shown he was suffering from Myelofibrosis, a bone marrow cancer. Last Wednesday (20 September) the difficult decision was made to humanely euthanise him.
 
Nisha said:
Hamilton - Scout and Kirana were successfully integrated for the first time in late September. Mating took place over two days, but it's too early to confirm if she's pregnant or not

Tigers' 15-times-a-day mating routine 'actually not that many'
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That’s great news Hamilton Zoo were able to achieve a successful introduction in three months (Scout arrived late June).

Fingers crossed both Auckland Zoo and Hamilton Zoo will welcome successful litters in the coming months. :)
 
Nisha said:
Hamilton - Scout and Kirana were successfully integrated for the first time in late September. Mating took place over two days, but it's too early to confirm if she's pregnant or not

Tigers' 15-times-a-day mating routine 'actually not that many'
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Zoofan15 said:
That’s great news Hamilton Zoo were able to achieve a successful introduction in three months (Scout arrived late June).

Fingers crossed both Auckland Zoo and Hamilton Zoo will welcome successful litters in the coming months. :)
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Potential for cross-fostering:

Something else I thought about regarding Auckland and Hamilton Zoo both trying to breed their tigers, is that Ramah and Zayana were introduced for breeding around five days prior to Scout and Kirana.

Factoring in the average 100-108 day gestation, due dates (if successful pregnancies result) would be:

Zayana: Last week of December/First week of January
Kirana: First week of January/Second week of January

This gives potential for cross-fostering if either tigress rejects her litter as the difference in size/development between the litters would be minimal. It’s something important to consider, especially since neither facility will undertake handraising.

Like I say, this is all dependent on whether conception is successful. Within the region, it appears several pairings of first time breeders were unsuccessful on the first estrus cycle; but successful on the second, when the tigers had had some practice.
 
Orana Wildlife Park - Discussion on Importing from North America

Orana Wildlife Park have stated they intend to acquire a mate for their male tiger Reggie. Regionally there’s not a lot of options for Reggie. The current choices being to pair him with a second cousin from Adelaide’s litter; or wait for a female cub to be born to Ramah and Zayana at Auckland Zoo. The second option is obviously preferable.

It would be better yet for the long term future of the regional breeding programme if an additional founder was brought in. With this in mind, I thought I’d explore what options are potentially available via the US.

First of all, I discounted any female born earlier than 2019; and the four known females born 2023. These assumptions were made on the logic of importing a young tiger for maximum reproductive potential and wanting a tiger that can breed within the next couple of years (i.e. not a newborn cub).

This leaves us with seven potential candidates:

0.1 Ndari (05/01/2021) Berani x Leeloo (Zoo Miami)
0.1 Phoebe (11/07/2021) Dumai x Riya (Wildlife Safari)
0.1 Sumini (02/08/2021) Kuasa x Sukacita (Dallas Zoo)
0.1 Nety (06/12/2021) Kuasa x Sukacita (Dallas Zoo)
0.1 Luna (02/07/2022) Kami Sambol x Lola (Oklahoma City Zoo)
0.2 Unnamed (29/10/2022) Dumai x Kemala (Wildlife Safari)

(Information taken from the North American Sumatran Tiger Population thread compiled by @IndianRhino).

From here, we can discount Luna (full sibling of Ramah).

Zoo Miami and Dallas Zoo are the most internationally recognised of the remaining facilities, which identifies the following as the most likely candidates:

0.1 Ndari (05/01/2021) Berani x Leeloo (Zoo Miami)
0.1 Sumini (02/08/2021) Kuasa x Sukacita (Dallas Zoo)
0.1 Nety (06/12/2021) Kuasa x Sukacita (Dallas Zoo)

At a glance, Ndari appears to be the closest relative of Ramah/Zayana (second cousin of Ramah); but it’s a moot point as North America will similarly be considering the future of their breeding programme before identifying any of the above as surplus for export.

I will also note that this post is made without knowing confirmation of existing plans for the above tigers (i.e. this is just for general interest for those who follow the Australasian Sumatran tiger population).
 
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Ndari (from Zoo Miami) moved to Fort Worth earlier this year. They have a male too (Rakan from Smithsonian via San Diego) but I don't know if they currently have a breeding recommendation
 
Another small note - Sumini was hand raised, so I therefore think the only theoretical option out of the candidates above is her younger sister Nety, who was born four months later.
 
Nisha said:
Ndari (from Zoo Miami) moved to Fort Worth earlier this year. They have a male too (Rakan from Smithsonian via San Diego) but I don't know if they currently have a breeding recommendation
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Thanks for that. Even without a breeding recommendation, it implies there’s a plan for her.
Jambo said:
Another small note - Sumini was hand raised, so I therefore think the only theoretical option out of the candidates above is her younger sister Nety, who was born four months later.
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Sumini was only handraised initially (as was Nety). She was integrated with her younger siblings as juveniles, so she should be socially normal; though if given the choice, I’d go for the younger female who was peer raised from the start.
 
Sumatran Tiger Imports - Part 1

Australasian zoos have imported 22 Sumatran tigers from outside the region:

0.1 Meta (25/04/1975) Imported 1979; Died 1990
1.0 Djambi (26/11/1975) Imported 1976; Died 1979
1.0 Nico (12/04/1976) Imported 1979; Died 1990
0.1 Poetry (25/05/1978) Imported 1979; Died 1997
1.0 Frank (20/03/1980) Imported 1981; Died 1999
1.0 Tiger Boy (29/04/1990) Imported 2000; Died 2008
0.1 Toba (11/05/1990) Imported 1992; Died 1993
0.1 Cantic (15/08/1992) Imported 1994; Died 2013
1.0 Hari (04/01/1996) Imported 2003; Died Unknown
1.0 Tuan (12/03/1998) Imported 2006; Died 2017
0.1 Assiqua (18/05/1999) Imported 2001; Died 2020
0.1 Binjai (30/08/2002) Imported 2004; Died 2021
0.1 Soraya (09/06/2002) Imported 2003; Died 2019
1.0 Dumai (04/04/2003) Imported 2004; Died 2020
1.0 Raja (25/12/2003) Imported 2005; Died 2022
1.0 Oz (22/11/2004) Imported 2006; Died 2020
1.0 Satu (15/05/2005) Imported 2006; Died 2022
1.0 Bashi (04/12/2007) Imported 2008
0.1 Kaitlyn (04/12/2007) Imported 2008
0.1 Maneki (04/12/2007) Imported 2008; Died 2020
1.0 Ramah (08/07/2017) Imported 2022
0.1 Zayana (15/10/2018) Imported 2022

Please note, this list doesn’t include pre-studbook imports from the 1940’s, 1950’s etc. More information on these can be found on Post #112 of this thread.

Part 2 will detail number of living descendants and number of imports made per facility.
 
Zoofan15 said:
Sumatran Tiger Imports - Part 1

Australasian zoos have imported 22 Sumatran tigers from outside the region:

0.1 Meta (25/04/1975) Imported 1979; Died 1990
1.0 Djambi (26/11/1975) Imported 1976; Died 1979
1.0 Nico (12/04/1976) Imported 1979; Died 1990
0.1 Poetry (25/05/1978) Imported 1979; Died 1997
1.0 Frank (20/03/1980) Imported 1981; Died 1999
1.0 Tiger Boy (29/04/1990) Imported 2000; Died 2008
0.1 Toba (11/05/1990) Imported 1992; Died 1993
0.1 Cantic (15/08/1992) Imported 1994; Died 2013
1.0 Hari (04/01/1996) Imported 2003; Died Unknown
1.0 Tuan (12/03/1998) Imported 2006; Died 2017
0.1 Assiqua (18/05/1999) Imported 2001; Died 2020
0.1 Binjai (30/08/2002) Imported 2004; Died 2021
0.1 Soraya (09/06/2002) Imported 2003; Died 2019
1.0 Dumai (04/04/2003) Imported 2004; Died 2020
1.0 Raja (25/12/2003) Imported 2005; Died 2022
1.0 Oz (22/11/2004) Imported 2006; Died 2020
1.0 Satu (15/05/2005) Imported 2006; Died 2022
1.0 Bashi (04/12/2007) Imported 2008
0.1 Kaitlyn (04/12/2007) Imported 2008
0.1 Maneki (04/12/2007) Imported 2008; Died 2020
1.0 Ramah (08/07/2017) Imported 2022
0.1 Zayana (15/10/2018) Imported 2022

Please note, this list doesn’t include pre-studbook imports from the 1940’s, 1950’s etc. More information on these can be found on Post #112 of this thread.

Part 2 will detail number of living descendants and number of imports made per facility.
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I see that the majority of these animals have had long-lived lives! The average lifespan is fifteen years, so they've been very well taken care of animals.
 
Sumatran Tiger Imports - Part 2

A comparative overview:

Descendants per Tiger:

0.1 Meta (25/04/1975) Imported 1979; Died 1990 33
1.0 Nico (12/04/1976) Imported 1979; Died 1990 33
0.1 Poetry (25/05/1978) Imported 1979; Died 1997 30
1.0 Frank (20/03/1980) Imported 1981; Died 1999 30
0.1 Cantic (15/08/1992) Imported 1994; Died 2013 15
0.1 Kaitlyn (04/12/2007) Imported 2008 14
1.0 Hari (04/01/1996) Imported 2003; Died Unknown 7
1.0 Tuan (12/03/1998) Imported 2006; Died 2017 7
0.1 Soraya (09/06/2002) Imported 2003; Died 2019 7
1.0 Satu (15/05/2005) Imported 2006; Died 2022 7
0.1 Assiqua (18/05/1999) Imported 2001; Died 2020 6
1.0 Oz (22/11/2004) Imported 2006; Died 2020 6
0.1 Binjai (30/08/2002) Imported 2004; Died 2021 5
1.0 Raja (25/12/2003) Imported 2005; Died 2022 4
0.1 Maneki (04/12/2007) Imported 2008; Died 2020 1
1.0 Djambi (26/11/1975) Imported 1976; Died 1979 0
1.0 Tiger Boy (29/04/1990) Imported 2000; Died 2008 0
0.1 Toba (11/05/1990) Imported 1992; Died 1993 0
1.0 Dumai (04/04/2003) Imported 2004; Died 2020 0
1.0 Bashi (04/12/2007) Imported 2008 0
1.0 Ramah (08/07/2017) Imported 2022 0
0.1 Zayana (15/10/2018) Imported 2022 0

It’s no surprise to see Nico/Meta and Frank/Poetry streets ahead of all the other imports. A decade ago, there would have been a wider gap between these two founder pairs as Nico and Meta’s youngest son (Jambi) was paired with an unrelated female at Wellington Zoo to produce six offspring (one of which in turn produced three offspring with an additional founder); but this chart only details surviving descendants and now the only disparity is Cinta at Tasmania Zoo; and Ramah and Zayana, who are descendants of Nico and Meta’s daughter, Kali.

Tuan never bred, but has seven living descendants via his son, Satu.

A further four tigers died without producing offspring - two died prematurely (one killed by their mate); one was a behavioural non-breeder; and one was paired with a behavioural non-breeder. Sadly, it looks like Bashi will become the fifth tiger on this list in years to come; while long term, the lines of Binjai, Soraya and Raja appear set to die out with their respective offspring.

Ramah and Zayana are in their prime and will hopefully produce a successful litter either December or in the new year, following the loss of their first litter in September.

Maneki (now deceased) only has one living descendant, who is one of the most genetically valuable tigers in the region. Hopefully he will breed in the coming years.

Number of Imports by Decade:

1.0 Djambi (26/11/1975) Imported 1976; Died 1979
0.1 Meta (25/04/1975) Imported 1979; Died 1990
1.0 Nico (12/04/1976) Imported 1979; Died 1990
0.1 Poetry (25/05/1978) Imported 1979; Died 1997

1.0 Frank (20/03/1980) Imported 1981; Died 1999

0.1 Toba (11/05/1990) Imported 1992; Died 1993
0.1 Cantic (15/08/1992) Imported 1994; Died 2013

1.0 Tiger Boy (29/04/1990) Imported 2000; Died 2008
0.1 Assiqua (18/05/1999) Imported 2001; Died 2020
1.0 Hari (04/01/1996) Imported 2003; Died Unknown
0.1 Soraya (09/06/2002) Imported 2003; Died 2019
0.1 Binjai (30/08/2002) Imported 2004; Died 2021
1.0 Dumai (04/04/2003) Imported 2004; Died 2020
1.0 Raja (25/12/2003) Imported 2005; Died 2022
1.0 Tuan (12/03/1998) Imported 2006; Died 2017
1.0 Satu (15/05/2005) Imported 2006; Died 2022
1.0 Oz (22/11/2004) Imported 2006; Died 2020
1.0 Bashi (04/12/2007) Imported 2008
0.1 Maneki (04/12/2007) Imported 2008; Died 2020
0.1 Kaitlyn (04/12/2007) Imported 2008

1.0 Ramah (08/07/2017) Imported 2022
0.1 Zayana (15/10/2018) Imported 2022

Considering these imports were undertaken over the space of 46 years (1976-2022), it’s staggering to note 13 of the 22 tigers were imported in the 2000’s (2000-2008). The huge number of births that followed (nine of these tigers bred) explain the lack of imports in the decade that followed; but we’ve now reached the stage where fresh imports would be advantageous and so I hope Ramah and Zayana’s import is followed by others this decade.

Number of Tigers Imported by Facility:

Taronga Zoo:

0.1 Meta (25/04/1975) Imported 1979; Died 1990
1.0 Nico (12/04/1976) Imported 1979; Died 1990
0.1 Assiqua (18/05/1999) Imported 2001; Died 2020
1.0 Satu (15/05/2005) Imported 2006; Died 2022

Melbourne Zoo:

1.0 Djambi (26/11/1975) Imported 1976; Died 1979
0.1 Poetry (25/05/1978) Imported 1979; Died 1997
1.0 Frank (20/03/1980) Imported 1981; Died 1999
0.1 Binjai (30/08/2002) Imported 2004; Died 2021

Auckland Zoo:

1.0 Oz (22/11/2004) Imported 2006; Died 2020
1.0 Ramah (08/07/2017) Imported 2022
0.1 Zayana (15/10/2018) Imported 2022

Australia Zoo:

1.0 Bashi (04/12/2007) Imported 2008
0.1 Maneki (04/12/2007) Imported 2008; Died 2020
0.1 Kaitlyn (04/12/2007) Imported 2008

Wellington Zoo:

0.1 Toba (11/05/1990) Imported 1992; Died 1993
0.1 Cantic (15/08/1992) Imported 1994; Died 2013

Adelaide Zoo:

1.0 Tiger Boy (29/04/1990) Imported 2000; Died 2000
1.0 Tuan (12/03/1998) Imported 2006; Died 2017

Dreamworld:

0.1 Soraya (09/06/2002) Imported 2003; Died 2019
1.0 Raja (25/12/2003) Imported 2005; Died 2022

Perth Zoo:

1.0 Dumai (04/04/2003) Imported 2004; Died 2020

Cairns Wildlife Safari:

1.0 Hari (04/01/1996) Imported 2003; Died Unknown

Taronga, Melbourne and Auckland Zoo are at the top of the leaderboard with Auckland Zoo also undertaking the most recent import. Due to the size of their facilities, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Wellington and Perth receive non-breeding sibling pairs from within the region upon the passing of their ageing tigers.

Some great initiative from Australia Zoo and Dreamworld. It will be interesting to see what direction their facilities take with the move to protected contact.

Part 3 will discuss implications of the above for the future.
 
Nile Hippo Expert said:
I see that the majority of these animals have had long-lived lives! The average lifespan is fifteen years, so they've been very well taken care of animals.
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We’ve had some exceptionally long lived tigers. Kemiri died in 2017 aged 22 years and this record was surpassed by her first cousin, Mencari in 2023, when she died aged 23 years. Their respective mothers both lived until 21 years of age and Kemiri’s brothers all lived until 18 years of age, which is also impressive.

The climate in Australasia zoos is regarded as favourable to this subspecies of tiger. It was the reason they were chosen over the Siberian tiger, which was subsequently phased out during the 90’s.
 
Sumatran Tiger Imports - Part 3

To wrap up, I will discuss the implications of the above on the future of the breeding programme.

A breeding programme aims to achieve equal representation of all founders, but this will clearly be difficult to achieve. Breeding from Reggie (the only offspring of Maneki) should be prioritised and as discussed in a recent post, will hopefully occur via an import from outside the region.

While Ramah and Zayana are descendants of Nico and Meta, this line has been diluted over several generations and they’re subsequently a genetically valuable pair. In the interest of retaining the bloodline of Assiqua, it wouldn’t surprise me to see a cub from Auckland’s first litter paired with one of Taronga’s triplets (born 2019) around four years from now.

Several facilities are approaching a cross-roads in their Sumatran tiger holdings, with the future of Dreamworld being one of the biggest question marks. I’m hopeful they’ll cease breeding generics and as their population dwindles, source Sumatran replacements.

Australia Zoo will likely continue in their current state, with breeding recommendations unlikely to be given for their youngest four tigers any time soon (due to the recent pairings of Kaitlyn’s three eldest offspring).

Oz’s descendants are in the mid-range like several of the other founders, but will receive a boost via his daughter at Hamilton Zoo, who will hopefully produce a litter in 2024. His son has recently bred at Adelaide Zoo, ensuring the continuation of this line.

There’s sadly no hope for Raja and Soraya’s line, with their surviving four daughters now post reproductive. It’s a great shame as they were the only founders imported during the 2000’s not to be paired with mates from the Nico-Meta line.

As mentioned, new imports would be ideal and with the global captive population becoming increasingly inbred, further Indonesian imports would be of immeasurable value.
 
Jambo said:
Auckland - 0.1 Zayana is pregnant again and due in early January.

Auckland Zoo tiger falls pregnant, three months after giving birth to stillborn cub, killing another.
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Excellent news. The due date of Zayana’s litter means she conceived on the first cycle following the loss of her previous litter. Fingers crossed for a more successful outcome this time.

All going well, Hamilton Zoo’s pair could well be expecting a litter in January (if there first mating attempt was a success). It’d be a New Zealand first to have two litters born the same month (or even the same year).
 
Hamilton Zoo Hopeful Kirana is Pregnant (Due January 2024)

Staff believe Kirana the Sumatran tigress is pregnant. After mating with the male, Kirana has gone two months without returning to season and has been showing pregnancy symptoms (lethargy, weight gain etc). The zoo are preparing for a potential birth in the first week of January (around the same time Zayana at Auckland Zoo is due).

Excitingly, this would see Kirana deliver around the same time as Zayana at Auckland Zoo. Aside from the exciting prospect of having two litters of Sumatran tiger cubs born in New Zealand zoos within days of each other (a New Zealand first); pragmatically speaking, this could potentially prove a valuable contingency in the event a single cub litter is rejected by either female.
 
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