TAMPA, Fla. – On Sept. 11, Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo welcomed its first critically endangered Malayan tiger cub. There are only 250 Malayan tigers left in the wild..
The cub was born to “Bzui” and is being cared for in a den off exhibit. The pair will likely not be on exhibit for several weeks as Bzui nurses and cares for the cub, as she would in the wild.
Bzui came to the Zoo last spring to join her mate, “Mata,” as a recommendation from the Association of Zoo’s and Aquarium’s Malayan Tiger Species Survival Plan.
The cub is the same species as 'Hati,' the Malayan tiger who killed Palm Beach Zoo's lead keeper Stacey Konwiser in April.
“The cub is growing normally and nursing well,” said Dr. Larry Killmar, the Zoo’s Chief Zoological Officer. “Our Zoo is proud to be working to preserve a species like the Malayan tiger, which is facing a growing number of threats in the wild.”
For now, the Zoo has no clear images of the cub, because they remain in the den with mom as they would in the wild. If you look closely at the video above, you can see the baby's belly moving as it nurses.