A nine-year-old endangered Sumatran tiger has joined Busch Gardens’ collection of over 200 animals and is sure to delight guests this spring and summer. The tiger, Bandar, comes to Busch Gardens from the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma, WA. He is the park’s first Sumatran tiger and will join Rukayah and Zahra, Malayan, and Bengal tigers.
Meet Bandar the Sumatran Tiger
Bandar is part of the Association of Zoos and Aquarium’s Species Survival Plan program meant to help species avoid extinction. Sumatran tigers are currently listed as critically endangered, with less than 400 remaining in the wild, the result of poaching, habitat loss, and human conflict.
The Sumatran tiger will reside in the Jungala area of the park.
“Watching Bandar settle into his new home is exciting and inspiring,” said Jenny Mendoza, Vice President- Zoological for Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. “We are very thrilled to provide him with a home for him to thrive, share his story with our guests, and have our zoological facilities serve as a building block for the prosperous future of all tigers.”
About Sumatran Tigers
Sumatran tigers come from the Indonesian island of Sumatra and are the only surviving population of tigers in the Sunda Islands. Bali and Javan tigers there already went extinct.
Sumatran tigers became isolated from other tiger populations after a rise in sea level about 12,000-16,000 years ago.
It is one of the smallest species of tigers on the planet–87-100 inches, weighing between 220 and 310 pounds.
Related: Bell Family Farm — Step Away from Life’s Stress and Pet Some Animals
It remains in small, fragmented populations from seal level in the coastal lowland forests of Gunung Leuser National Park in Aceh Province.
Just 40 years ago, the Sumatran tiger population was estimated at 1,000 individuals in 26 protected areas of Sumatra. Most live today within the bounds of national parks. Kerinci Seblat National Park, alone, hosts 165-190 tigers, more than anywhere else in the island nation.
There is a captive population of about 235 animals in zoos around the world, according to endangeredwildlife.org.
Sumatran Tiger Features
According to the endangewedwildlife.org website, Sumatran tigers have the following features:
- Longer whiskers to help improve their senses
- Extra fur around the face to help protect the tigers in dense vegetation
- White spots on the backs of their ears help visually enlarge their size to help younger tigers stave off predators
- Webbed toes to help them swim through rivers
- Claws strong enough as to allow them to climb trees
They are solitary animals. They are typically only spotted in the wild during mating season when females are raising their cubs.
Busch Gardens guests who want a more personal look at Bandar and other tigers at the park can purchase a Tiger Insider Tour. There they can learn how the park helps protect this species in the wild.
The park is also offering a Pay for a Day, Play, and Splash All Year admission ticket. It includes access to events, award-winning rollercoasters, and endless admittance into Adventure Island.
How Zoos Help Endangered Species
Programs such as the Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Species Survival program, in which Busch Gardens participates, are led by expert advisors who work together to maximize the genetic diversity of a certain population. They manage the demographic distribution and long-term sustainability of animals recommended for the program.
Each unique program manages the breeding of select species or sub-species by developing breeding and transfer plans. This includes recommending breeding pairs and transfers from one zoo to another.
The Population Management Center for this program is located at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. It conducts demographic and genetic analyses to help develop and distribute population management recommendations for all the Species Survival Plans. Bandar will be no exception.
Learn more by visiting BuschGardensTampa.com.
