Adelaide Zoo on the prowl and growl for
paw-fect tiger cub name!
She’s already a chuffingly sweet tiger cub with her dash of stripes, little white whiskers, super large paws and the bluest eyes – and with the public’s help, she’ll have the sweetest name too.
Sumatran Tiger Delilah gave birth to three cubs in December 2022 and now Adelaide Zoo is calling on its members, visitors and followers to help name one of the two females.
“We have thought long and hard about a name for this little girl,” said Arliah Hayward, Senior Keeper of Carnivores. “With assistance from one of our long standing supporters, we’ve come up with three suggestions that have been checked by our friends at the Indonesian Embassy. Each of these names perfectly fits her character.
“The Indonesian names to choose from are: Megah (muh-gah) meaning magnificent, Tabah (ta-bahh) meaning determined and Marni (mar-ni) meaning loyal and persistent (and which also means good in Kaurna).
“People can vote by going onto our website and selecting their favourite. The name will be announced along with the names of her two siblings very soon.
“This little girl is pretty vocal and has started chuffing to us, just like her mum.
“Chuffing is a friendly greeting that tigers use to express that they are content and their desire to bond with other tigers and humans. This little one is also very determined when it comes to food and is driven by her stomach,” finished Arliah.
The little cub, her sister and brother are the firstborn cubs for Delilah and Dad, Kembali. Born in December 2022, the threesome has stayed with mum in a cubbing den and back-of-house habitat to bond and grow in strength. They will soon be at a stage where they can enter their habitat and be on view to their adoring public.
Sadly, the Sumatran Tiger is classified as critically endangered by the IUCN with less than 400 thought to remain due to habitat loss, poaching and the human-wildlife conflict. They now only survive in pockets of protected land that is being encroached upon by agriculture for unsustainable palm oil plantations and road building.
Zoos SA supports Sumatran Tigers in the wild through conservation group Wildlife Asia. As one of its many projects, Wildlife Asia operates a tiger patrol team in the Sontang Village, Cubadak, Pasaman District, West Sumatra. The patrol aims to protect the critically endangered tiger population and focuses on working with locals to avoid human and tiger conflict. Members of the local community are employed as forest rangers and help to document illegal activities and track tiger paths.
Zoos South Australia works alongside sixteen other zoo-based conservation and wildlife organisations across Australia and New Zealand to drive the global transition to Certified Sustainable Palm Oil.
For more information on how you can shop with purpose to save species like the Sumatran Tiger from extinction, please click here.
To vote, head to: www.adelaidezoo.com.au/cubnaming/ |
