If you’ve visited Cat Canyon over the past month or so, you may have noticed the absence of the Malayan tiger brothers, Taj and Who-Dey. We bid a fond farewell to these boys in November and wish them well in their new home at the Sunset Zoo in Manhattan, Kansas (where they will be known by the names Hakim and Malik).
While they will certainly be missed, we are excited to announce the arrival of a new pair of Malayan tigers, two-year-old female, Cinta, and 14-year-old male, Jalil.
Jalil was actually born here at the Cincinnati Zoo back in 2001. He spent a few years at the Jackson Zoo before returning to Cincinnati in 2007 and siring our most recent litter of cubs in 2009. When Cat Canyon underwent renovation in 2011, Jalil was transferred to the Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield, Missouri. With Jalil’s return and recommended pairing with Cinta through the Malayan Tiger Species Survival Plan, we are excited about the prospect of having tiger cubs at the Zoo again.
That is, of course, as long as Jalil and Cinta are compatible. Cinta comes to us from Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida. This will be her first pairing. The pair is currently settling into adjacent quarters off exhibit in the Night Hunters building. The next step will be to provide them visual contact with each other, followed by physical introduction when Cinta is reproductively receptive.
If all goes well, the pair will go on exhibit together in Cat Canyon this spring when the weather warms up a bit, and we could hear the pitter patter of tiny tiger paws as soon as this summer. Keep your fingers crossed!
Meanwhile, the Zoo continues to support Panthera’s Tigers Forever initiative to study and protect tigers in the wild. Do you ever wonder who is actually on the ground in the forests where tigers roam, installing camera traps and monitoring illegal human activities? Meet Wai Yee, a young Malaysian woman who does just that in her role as a Project Manager with Tigers Forever in one of Panthera’s recent blog posts.
We are proud to play a role in maintaining a healthy tiger population in zoos while also supporting field research and conservation in the wild. And you can take pride in knowing that your support of the Zoo is helping to save tigers.
Love kitty paw So!
You little matchmakers, you Zoo!
Yea! More big cats. Thanks CZ&BG.