Who doesn’t remember these cute little faces when they made their grand entrance into the world a year ago? Disney’s Animal Kingdom excitedly welcomed the first ever baby Sumatran tiger cubs born at the park. Weighing in at roughly three pounds, they were born to proud mom Sohni and still stay close by her side. Today Anala is 160 pounds with sibling Jeda coming in at 167 pounds. Dad Malosi weighs 290 pounds so they still have some growing to do. Anala and Jeda celebrated their very first birthday in style at Disney’s Animal Kingdom this week.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom care team created a birthday-themed enrichment treat, AKA a ‘cake’ for the birthday twins to enjoy.
The cubs continue to hit all their development milestones and enjoy learning to be tigers – they practice hiding, creeping and pouncing on mom and each other.
As you might expect, Anala and Jeda act like siblings. They have a special bond but differ in many ways. Anala is feisty and independent in spirit. Jeda is more laid back. Both are incredibly intelligent! Guests continue to enjoy watching the tiger family play and explore their habitat on the Maharajah Jungle Trek.
Anala and Jeda have also learned, like their parents, to participate in their own medical care. For example, they respond to certain hand signals or verbal cues by voluntarily opening their mouths or standing on a station for routine weight checks. They also present their tails and paws for inspection on cue.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom is proud to play an important role in the worldwide conservation and understanding of Sumatran tigers, a critically endangered species. The birth of these Sumatran tiger cubs was a remarkable event that took nearly three years of planning through the Species Survival Plan (SSP), which is overseen by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and ensures responsible breeding.
Fewer than 500 Sumatran tigers are left in the wild due to threats such as habitat loss, poaching and the illegal wildlife trade. Since 1995, the Disney Conservation Fund has provided more than $2.5 million to 14 nonprofit organizations working to protect tigers and their habitats in the wild. As a part of its focus on saving wildlife, the DCF is also helping the Wildlife Conservation Society and its partners protect tigers in Sumatra, Indonesia, by building support for tiger conservation, combating illegal wildlife trade and supporting community rangers who walked more than 5,600 miles in the last year to patrol 1,700 square miles of tigers’ forest habitat.
You can see Sohni, Malosi and their cubs on the Maharajah Jungle Trek and learn more about tigers by visiting DisneyAnimals.com.
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