Sumatran Tigers currently in UK zoos.

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Pertinax

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
We have been talking about London's Sumatran Tigers and their difficulties with breeding. Some of the other Uk zoos holding this species seem to be more successful. The status of various zoo with Sumatrans that I know of is;

Dudley- breeding
Dublin- breeding/have bred
Chessington- breeding
Chester- currently forming a pair
Paignton- breeding
Thrigby Gardens.- status unknown.
Howletts/PL - status unknown
South Lakes Animal Park- status unknown
Twycross- No longer keep this species.(had two males)

Are they kept at any other locations? There is also probably a degree of relatedness e.g. Chessington's pair came from Dublin and ? zoos.
 
I'm pretty sure South Lakes have never bred theirs....thrigby have had more than one litter, I think they have done quite well with them in the past.

The Howletts pair haven't yet produced cubs to my knowledge.

Marwell also used to keep sumatrans until the 80's but I have no idea if they bred successfully.
 
Hadley said:
Marwell also used to keep sumatrans until the 80's but I have no idea if they bred successfully.
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Yes they did. Did they have a proper enclosure for them? I only saw them in the 'Quarantine area' (an old stableyard)) as it used to be then.

Linton Zoo in Cambridgeshire had one in the past- it did not look pure to me though.
 
Linton Zoo has gone into Siberians and bred these (2.1) in 2004. Another litter of 1.1 was born just this April to female Deja.

Whether the former Sumatran you saw at Lion was a hybrid one would want to know. It strikes me as really odd that we know so much about lion hybrids, yet to what extent tigers are affected is clouded in mystery (at least in my mind). Are hybrids and pure-bred Bengals (surely the latter now qualify as endangered) listed at all in a registry.
 
The female Tiger I saw at Linton Zoo was labeeled as Sumatran. Although quite small it was paler and shaggier in appearance than a normal Sumatran would be so I suspect was a crossbreed.

In answer to your question about 'mongrel' tigers and whether there is a registry for them- i do not know. There are still a number of these type tigers in UK collections- mostly in the smaller zoos and some Safari Parks- however some, like Longleat are moving away from this and keeping Siberian tigers now.
 
Th old male at Longles=at Sonar? Was he a strawberry blonde tiger? How does that happen and what other zoos house tiger lik him?
 
Yes, this mutation is called ' Tabby' or 'Golden Tabby' The white areas (on a normal orange tiger) extend further over the body and face, while the stripes are pale brown.

This colour phase is produced in the same way that White Tigers are, and I think all three colours- normal, white and tabby, can occur in a single litter.

I don't know when 'tabby' tigers first appeared- no doubt it was the result of repeated artificial selection for the white gene. To my mind 'tabbies' are the least attractive colour phase. Give me normal tigers anytime...
 
Grant do they still have and breed the Sumatran tigers at Whipsnade, they use to have a very sucessful breeding program there in the 70s and produced many young
 
MARK said:
Grant do they still have and breed the Sumatran tigers at Whipsnade, they use to have a very sucessful breeding program there in the 70s and produced many young
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No they don't. I can't remember that era too well(better with earlier or later!) but they would have been in the old tiger 'Dell' near the lions. That was a good natural enclosure I always thought. Those pits are completely gone now(filled in). No idea where the adults(or cubs) went to either. Anybody?

Currently Whipsnade have only Siberians. They are in what used to be the old Wolf Wood- it has been enlarged and landscaped for Tigers. Not a bad exhibit.
 
Grant the lions and tigers were keep in the old chalk pits and were well wooded with trees and undergrowth, they did have a pair many years ago that produced a record amount of cubs, they were quite famous at the time for the amount of cubs they had
 
with the hwp currently building an all new enclosure for amur tiger, i wonder if edinburgh will be bringing in sumatran tigers? i think their enclosure would be great for sun bear though
 
Current Sumatran Tiger update:
Chester-Mating has been observed.
South Lakes-Bred a cub from there pair Alesha and Padang but Alesha rejected her and so she was handreared her name is Kadi.
London-No breeding yet.
Dudley-Have no Tigers at present Sarah passed away new pair should be in by Spring.
Paignton-Have 2:1 at present Aryo still lives with his mother Banda.Her and Aryo should be leaving the Zoo sometime this year for a new mate from Tenang.
Flamingoland-Have Banda's daughter Surya and a male from another collection in the UK Wildlife hertiage possibly Dawa i think?
 
jordan-12 said:
Current Sumatran Tiger update:
Chester-Mating has been observed.
South Lakes-Bred a cub from there pair Alesha and Padang but Alesha rejected her and so she was handreared her name is Kadi.
London-No breeding yet.
Dudley-Have no Tigers at present Sarah passed away new pair should be in by Spring.
Paignton-Have 2:1 at present Aryo still lives with his mother Banda.Her and Aryo should be leaving the Zoo sometime this year for a new mate from Tenang.
Flamingoland-Have Banda's daughter Surya and a male from another collection in the UK Wildlife hertiage possibly Dawa i think?
Click to expand...

There is also Kabus and Kina at Belfast, no breeding recommendation at this time
 
Wildlife Heritage have a breeding pair .

Howletts have a pair which I do not think have bred yet .
 
Bele said:
Wildlife Heritage have a breeding pair .

Howletts have a pair which I do not think have bred yet .
Click to expand...

The pair at WHF produced there first litter of 2:0 cubs in 2008. One of these is Bawa at Flamingoland and the second male (who's name escape's me) is now at Zoo Parc Beuaval in France

Howletts have yet to breed there's but they are still young so there's time yet. The male is Amir (born March 2005 at Wuppertal) and his mate is Indah (born May 2005 at Dudley)
 
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