The Sumatran tiger is the smallest of the tiger subspecies with less than 400 estimated to remain in the wild. However, the good news is this tiger family is growing at Australia Zoo in Queensland. Australia Zoo, owned by the Irwin family, welcomed the historic birth of a pair of Sumatran tiger cubs in 2013, and then again with another pair in 2016!
Kaitlyn, a purebred Sumatran tiger, gave birth to her pair of healthy newborn tigers—Hunter and Clarence—after approximately 6.5 hours of labor on Aug. 22, 2013. Hunter and Clarence made history by being the first Sumatran cubs born in the zoo, a significant achievement indeed, considering the Sumatran tiger is critically endangered.
Zoo staff stood by and watched with bated breath the entire birthing process on a TV monitor just outside Kaitlyn’s enclosure. If they were needed, they were there.
When the first cub, born at 5:07 p.m., wasn’t showing any signs of life, vets were faced with the difficult decision to either intervene or let this tiger mom do her thing. They hesitatingly opted for the latter option as they observed what was unfolding before them.
Amazingly, Kaitlyn’s maternal instincts kicked in, and she was literally attempting to lick her cub to life. Her long, warm tongue firmly pressing down on the cub’s chest with each lick was almost like a round of tiger CPR.
Suddenly, when a faint sound was heard, the astonished staff rejoiced and praised Kaitlyn on her excellent mothering skills. The newborn cub had made its first sound.
After the cubs were weaned from Kaitlyn, Clark took on the role of feeding and training the cubs. “At this time the strong bonds are formed between handlers and cubs to allow us to interact with the tigers for their entire life and provide the long-term enrichment of walks and experiences outside of their enclosures,” he said.
Kaitlyn’s mother was wild, and her father was a captive male. She is extremely valuable genetically to the Sumatran Tiger captive breeding program and is hope for her tiger’s declining population.
Born on Dec. 12, 2007, Kaitlyn and her sister, Maneki, came to Australia Zoo from a park in Indonesia in 2008. The Sumatran tiger is the only surviving tiger population in the Sunda Islands, located in the Malay archipelago.
“Not only will these cubs ensure the survival of the species in captivity, but they will also provide genetic diversity among captive tiger populations,” said Clark. “The cubs’ wild bloodline is an important factor.”
Therefore, Kaitlyn’s cubs, Hunter and Clarence, serve as ambassadors to help raise funds for the conservation of these exquisite creatures.
Thank you Australia Zoo for your amazing work on the conservation of Sumatran tigers!
