Sumatran tiger
Did you know?
Tigers are excellent swimmers! They can easily cross rivers and lakes five miles wide. Our own tigers enjoy a swim now and then, especially on a hot day or to find food.
Discover tigers
Meet our tigers
Eating
(and predators!)
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Tigers are carnivores. They hunt wild pigs, deer, tapirs, fish and anything else they can catch.
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Humans are the Sumatran tiger’s main predator, hunting them for meat, fur and protection. Young tigers can fall prey to leopards, snakes and other tigers.
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Born wild
and ready to hunt.
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After a gestation of 100-110 days, females give birth to a litter of 2-4 cubs.
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Cubs weigh a little over two pounds at birth, and nurse for 6-10 weeks. By 18 months they are ready to hunt for themselves.
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Hunt like a tiger
Sleep like a cat.
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Tigers are generally solitary, and not very active most of the time. They sleep 18-20 hours per day!
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Males and females both mark their territory by spraying urine on trees, bushes and the ground.
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Protecting Tigers
THE THREAT: Like many animals, tigers depend on tropical rainforests to survive in the wild. In southeast Asia, these forests are rapidly being cut down to grow palm oil, found in many food products. Tigers are also hunted by poachers – fewer than 400 survive in Sumatra.
TAKE ACTION: To help save tigers, learn about and buy only products made with sustainable palm oil. Urge companies to make the switch. And consider donating to our Dr. Holly Reed fund, which supports tiger conservation in Sumatra.
Jungle Stories
Endangered Sumatran tiger Indah will make her public debut at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium on Friday, April 2, at noon. It’s a homecoming for the female tiger, one of three cubs born at the Tacoma zoo over six years ago. “It’s heartwarming to welcome her home to Tacoma and see her all grown up,” … Continued
“Whoop, Whoooooop, Whoop-whoop!” There’s a new set of sounds heard throughout Point Defiance Park, coming from Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. It’s the sound of two young lar gibbons singing loudly in unison. Also known as white-handed gibbons, they are an endangered primate in the gibbon family with around 15,000 currently living in the wild. … Continued
Shannon Smith stands outside on a fall day, calling out encouragement. “Foot!” she requests. Across the yard, her “buddy” of 24 years slowly lifts a leg, then puts it back down. “Good!” exclaims Smith, and offers an apple slice. It’s exercise time at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, and Smith is leading Suki the elderly … Continued