Zoo Miami welcomes tiger cub. ‘She was not happy about her first trip to the doctor!’
The circle of life at Zoo Miami.
On Thanksgiving, zookeepers at the Kendall-area attraction announced the Sept. 6 birth of a Sumatran tiger cub to parents Leeloo and Berani with the release of several images of the neonatal exam and details of her first couple of months with her mom.
The news is bittersweet.
“It is especially meaningful to everyone at Zoo Miami following the recent loss of Berani, our adult male Sumatran tiger,” spokesman and photographer Ron Magill said in a statement. The critically endangered Sumatran newborn “will hopefully be an important addition to his already wonderful legacy.”
Berani, 15, was euthanized at the zoo on Nov. 2, days after radiographs, ultrasounds, blood and urine collection and an endoscopy revealed an enlarged spleen and abnormalities of the kidneys. Berani had cancer of the spleen.
The zoo has not released a name for the cub, which has been isolated with its mother for its first eight weeks. The cub is Leeloo’s third. Satu, a male, was born in 2015. N’dari, a female, was born in 2021. Both, also fathered by Berani, are at other accredited facilities.
There are presently 73 Sumatran tigers at U.S. zoos, and it is believed there are less than 500 Sumatran tigers left in the wild where they are found in forested areas on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, according to Magill.
Leeloo is 11.
First exam
Zoo veterinarians performed the cub’s first physical exam and administered vaccinations on Nov. 7.
“Let’s just say that, like most babies, she was not happy about her first trip to the doctor,” Magill joked in an email. “Though the cub has made it through the most critical time of her young life and she appears to be developing well, she will remain in seclusion with her mother for an as of yet undetermined amount of time before making her public debut to ensure they are well established,” Magill said.
What’s next?
“Though the cub appears to be very strong and healthy, these first few months present the greatest challenges in any animal’s life so she will be carefully monitored by the Animal Science and Animal Health Departments to ensure she is meeting all the metrics for continued healthy development,” Magill said in a news release.
Leeloo and her baby will remain off exhibit for the next few weeks so they can bond before staff feels it’s safe to introduce mom and tot to the public.
But first: The cub has to take a “swim test,” Magill says, to ensure it can navigate Zoo Miami’s habitat pool and surrounding moat. Bet there’ll be photos.
Need your cute baby animal fix? Here’s a Sumatran tiger cub born at Zoo Miami
