Auckland Zoo/Supplied
Auckland Zoo hopes Sumatran tigers Zayana (pictured) and Ramah will contribute some young to an international breeding programme for the critically endangered species.
In a double tragedy for Auckland Zoo, Sumatran tiger Zayana has given birth to a stillborn cub before killing the sole remaining cub – an instinctual act for mothers with smaller litters.
Four-year-old Zayana and fellow Sumatran tiger Ramah, 5, had arrived at the zoo from the US in November 2022.
The pair hit it off and mated 95 times during their first introduction in May and in July, after a second meeting, the zoo announced Zayana was pregnant.
On Tuesday, the zoo announced that Zayana had given birth to a live cub, followed by a stillborn.
Zayana then killed the live cub, which is not unusual with smaller litters, Auckland Zoo carnivore team leader Lauren Booth said.
“A tiger mother always wants to ensure that the two intensive years of effort and resource she needs to invest in raising offspring (a time during which she cannot reproduce) will benefit her species’ population and survival.
“Having a larger litter size offers Sumatran tigers the best chance of successfully rearing young, so when only one cub is born – a vulnerable situation – it’s not unusual for a tiger mother to kill the remaining cub, which is what has happened here.”
Auckland Zoo
Auckland Zoo announced its Sumatran tiger pair Zayana and Ramah were expecting a litter of cubs in July.
While it was sad Zayana and Ramah’s first time breeding had been unsuccessful, the female tiger showed some “positive mothering behaviours” towards the live cub before the stillborn arrived, Booth said.
She added Zayana was doing well and was back to her relaxed self after “an exhausting couple of days” with lots of rest and care from zoo staff.
The tiger would soon be in oestrus – the optimal and safest time for mating – and will have another opportunity to breed.
Fiona Goodall/SNL
Auckland Zoo had its first litter of Sumatran tiger cubs when Molek gave birth to Jalur, Berani and Cinta in 2008.
There are fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers in the wild, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
Female Sumatra tigers come into oestrous every three to nine weeks, according to the zoo.
Gestation is around 100-108 days and the average litter size is two to three cubs. Threats to wild Sumatran tigers include habitat loss due to palm-oil deforestation, human conflict and poaching.
Part of the Auckland Zoo ticket cost is donated to wild tiger conservation projects, including The Tiger Protection Project, which aims to protect Sumatran tigers at Kerinci Seblat National Park in Sumatra, Indonesia.
The park spans 1.38 million hectares and is home to around 166 tigers.
Funding from the Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund helped create the Rapid Reaction Unit, which responds to poaching threats at the park.
