By Fox23.com News Staff
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — The Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden announced the birth of an endangered Sumatran tiger cub in its Cat Forest habitat.
The cub was born to its 14-year-old mother Lola and 7-year-old father Badar on Dec. 15.
Lola and her cub are spending time together behind the scenes at Cat Forest.
The zoo said caretakers have seen the cub nursing regularly, a positive sign it is thriving and the two are bonding. The cub will undergo a neonatal exam after a month, during which the zoo’s veterinary care team will conduct a physical and determine the cub’s sex.
Lola and the cub will remain out of public view until the cub is big enough to navigate the outdoor tiger habitat safely. The zoo said it will share updates on social media.
“This marks Lola’s third, and likely final, litter here at the Oklahoma City Zoo, making it especially meaningful for our team,” said Tyler Boyd, OKC Zoo’s Curator of Carnivores. “With fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers remaining in the wild, every successful pregnancy represents hope for this critically endangered species.”
The OKC Zoo participates in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) for Sumatran tigers, which made the recommendation for Lola and Badar to breed.
The zoo said it is committed to helping protect Sumatran tigers and sustain their population through the program.
“Lola has consistently proven to be an attentive and capable mother, and our animal care and veterinary teams have worked closely together throughout her pregnancy to support her health and the wellbeing of her cub,” said Boyd.
In 2011, Lola and her three siblings were the first litter of Sumatran tigers born at the OKC Zoo. She gave birth to male triplets in 2017. That same year, an Amur tiger cub named Zoya was born at the Philadelphia Zoo. When her mother would not raise the cub, the OKC worked with the AZA on solution, which led to the first cross-fostering of different tiger species in AZA history.
The zoo said after Zoya was rubbed in the scent of her other offspring, Lola accepted her as her own, including nursing her.
In 2019, Zoya moved to the Roosevelt Park Zoo in Minot, North Dakota on an SSP breeding recommendation. Since then, Zoya has had two litters of cubs.
Lola’s second litter, one male and one female, were born in 2022.
“What an amazing gift for Oklahoma City and the Sumatran tiger species, and just in time for the holidays,” said Dr. Dwight Lawson, OKC Zoo’s Executive Director and CEO. “We hope this birth delights and inspires our guests to take conservation action in their own lives to aid us in preserving wildlife and wild places around the globe.”
Sumatran tigers are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, with population estimates between 300 and 400 alive in the wild.
They face challenges in the wild including poaching, illegal animal trading and habitat loss, mostly for oil palm plantations in Indonesia.
The OKC Zoo is a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), which unites stakeholders from the palm oil industry to develop and implement global standards for sustainable palm oil.
The zoo said you can do your part to help tigers by donating to the Tiger Club, which supports the OKC Zoo provide expert care for the new cub. All Cub Club donors receive exclusive cub-dates for the cub’s first year of life and gifts of $100 or more are entered to win and exclusive keeper chat and cub viewing.
You can learn more about the Oklahoma City Zoo by clicking here.
