Eko the Malayan tiger born in Arkansas, raised in Seattle, transported to Naples in 2020
A rare Malayan tiger bit a Naples man Wednesday, and a closer look at the subspecies reveals that these cats are athletic and critically endangered.
Eko was part of a trio of Malayan tigers (Liem and Olan) that were born on Nov. 12, 2013 at the Little Rock Zoo in Arkansas, according to the Woodland Park Zoo website.
Previous coverage: Man bitten by tiger at Naples Zoo taken to Lee Memorial Hospital; tiger shot, killed
Related: Naples Zoo supports deputy's decision to shoot, kill rare Malayan tiger; launches probe
All three were transported to the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle in March of 2015, according to the same site.
Eko was moved to the Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens in early 2020.
They were the first litter of cubs born to parents Suhana and Liku at the Little Rock Zoo in Arkansas.
Rare in the wild and coveted in captivity, Malayan tigers are relatively small for tigers, but they're larger than Florida's endangered cat — the panther.
In 2015, Malayan tigers were listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Malayan tigers are one of six subspecies of tigers and are only found in peninsular Malaysia.
These efficient predators can run at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour, according to various tiger sources; and they're known for their adept swimming abilities.
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Like Florida panthers, Malayan tiger numbers are relatively low, with fewer than 300 living in the wild; and their habitat is continually encroached upon by development and other human activities, according to Woodland Park's website.
"Primary threats (include) poaching for their skins and body parts for traditional medicine, habitat loss, agricultural, logging and other human developments, and retaliatory killing by farmers for attacks on livestock," according to the Woodland Park Zoo website.
Males are larger than females, with adults weighing between 220 and 264 pounds, the site says.
Connect with this reporter: @ChadEugene on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Malayan tigers like Eko at Naples Zoo increasingly rare in the wild
