While Huse discussed Riya’s situation - stopping contractions with another cub still in the womb - with the other specialist, the conversation turned to the weather.Įven though tigers average 30-40 minutes between cubs, having extreme weather - cold or hot - can slow the birthing process. Only one other Sumatran cub has been born in the SSP program in the last four years. This allows the family privacy while also receiving a high level of care. The attempt with Kemala was unsuccessful, but Riya got pregnant with two cubs.Ĭredit Wildlife Safari The carnivore team at Wildlife Safari monitors Riya, a Sumatran tiger, with her two cubs using a remote video feed. “Our girls were always flirting with him and chuffing, which is a friendly tiger greeting,” Huse said. Riya and Kemala liked Dumai right away, so Huse felt confident in giving the introductions a try. “Zoos have had very tragic accidents trying to do tiger introductions.” “If you don’t put them together at the exact right time, they can be horribly aggressive,” said Huse. Riya and her sister Kemala had both been artificially inseminated before a male named Dumai was brought to the park to try natural breeding, which can be extremely dangerous. Wildlife Safari bred their Sumatran Tigers four times before having success. Wildlife Safari joined the Tiger SSP five years ago, specifically working with Sumatran tigers. Sumatran tigers are only found on the island of Sumatra and have fewer than 500 left in the wild. “We’re within a couple years of actually artificially inseminating some wild females with genetics we’ve bred here in the North American cheetah population.”Īccording to the AZA Tiger SSP, four of the nine subspecies of tiger have disappeared from the wild in the last century. “With cheetahs being the example,” said Huse. This work starts in zoos, and can help save wild populations. Huse contacted the Tiger Species Survival Plan (SSP) which coordinates breeding as part of conservation efforts between participating members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums ( AZA). Wildlife Safari is known for breeding cheetahs, but this is the first tiger litter born at the park since the early 80s. However, when more than five hours passed and contractions stopped, Huse knew she needed to consult another tiger expert. The next cub should have arrived about 30 minutes later. Riya’s motherly instincts kicked-in immediately. But the real hurdle was whether or not the tiger would clean off the cub’s sack so it could breathe. When the first cub was born the staff high-fived each other. For Sarah Huse, Carnivore Supervisor, this meant the birthing process had begun for the Sumatran tiger.įrom that evening to the next morning, staff took shifts watching the remote video feed in their office to monitor Riya’s progress. On Saturday, July 10, 2021, Riya uncharacteristically refused her dinner.
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