Sumatran tiger

Born April 17, 2004, Mohan came to Tacoma through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan (SSP) program, meant to protect the genetic diversity of tigers in zoos. (We plan to pair him with one of our female tigers via artificial insemination.)

Mohan is mostly a very serious tiger, says senior staff biologist Telena Welsh. He’s very focused on knowing where the other tigers are – especially all the girls – and likes to keep track of Dumai, our other male.

His favorite food is meat cut into chunks, but he also likes chicken breast, and when he’s really excited about his food he can roll all the way over in both directions if keepers ask him to. This isn’t just a trick – it’s a behavior that helps keepers see his belly and the underside of his back feet to make sure they are healthy.

Kirana and Dari are sisters – they were born Oct. 8, 2014 here at the Zoo and still get on really well. (Kali is their big sister, and Dumai their big brother.)

Kirana has always preferred to watch and learn before interacting with something or someone. As a young cub she would wander off from her mother and sisters every so often, then realize she was alone and cry until her mother found her! Now, thanks to keeper help and training, she’s more confident.

She’s also really good at standing super-still while having an ultrasound taken: tolerating a probe covered with gel and staff members around reading the monitor to check her health. Like  Mohan she loves chunk meat, and her favorite popsicles are cooked and frozen chicken. But she’s also a great hunter, and loves taking advantage of any squirrels that come into her territory!

Kirana and Dari are sisters – they were born Oct. 8, 2014 here at the Zoo and still get on really well. (Kali is their big sister, and Dumai their big brother.)

Dari can be chill at times, say keepers, but doesn’t hesitate to be vocal when she needs to. She’s eager for training and is a good student – her best behavior is “Open Mouth”, which is exactly what it sounds like!

“She opens really wide so we can check inside her mouth and all her teeth,” says staff biologist Christy Webster.

Dari loves her water bucket: lying near it with her head resting on it, or just dumping it so her keepers have to keep busy refilling it!

Kali is the big sister of tigers Kirana and Dari, born here April 17, 2013. Because she was hand-raised, she’s very interactive with her keepers. Kali loves attention and will sometimes whine when she thinks she’s not getting enough of it, keepers say! She’s pretty laid back most of the time but will protect what’s important to her – like her dinner.

Unlike most tigers, she isn’t a huge fan of swimming. But she does like hanging out next to her brother Dumai, even vocalizing in long “conversations” when they get the chance. She’s a training rock star, say keepers, lying still as long as they need her to for important health tests. But she does have a lot of energy and likes to play with a weighted ball that comes back up if you push it down.

And of course, being a cat, she loves rabbits and “blood-sicles” for treats!

Dumai is our other male tiger, born here at the Zoo on August 22, 2012 and brother to Kali, Kirana and Dari. When he was a cub he loved playing with dog chew toys and small balls – now he likes all kind of enrichment, say keepers. He loves to eat oranges and fish, rabbits, milk, whipped cream and even canned cat food!

Like his sister Kali, Dumai is great at lying still while he gets a voluntary injection – for a treat reward, of course! Since he was hand-raised he loves keeper attention, and is maybe our most laid-back tiger, chuffing at people and tigers alike.

“He’s like a big teddy bear,” says senior staff biologist Telena Welsh, “only with sharp claws and sharp teeth.”