Panthera tigris sumatrae
Confined to small fragmented areas of tropical forest on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, it lives in environments with good vegetation cover, the presence of water and availability of prey.
Solitary, it’s mainly active in the nocturnal crepuscular hours when it hunts above all of medium-sized ungulates but occasionally, also birds, fish, rodents, amphibians, reptiles, primates and domestic livestock. Males and females meet only during the reproductive period and after a gestation of about 3 months. 2 to 3 babies of about 1 kg of weight are born, blind and inept, that are weaned in 6-8 weeks.
With about 400 animals left in the wild, it’s one of the felines at greatest risk of extinction, mainly due to the reduction of its habitat, the illegal trade in bones and other body parts for allegedly unfounded healing powers.
WHO IS THERE AT THE BIOPARCO?
Kasih is a male born in 2014 at the Beauval Zoo, in France, while Tila the female, was born in 2011 at the Chester Zoo, in England. With shy and elusive habits, they spend a lot of time sheltered among the vegetation of the large area of the Bioparco. Between the two, Tila predominates while Kasih, 3 years younger, has a more impulsive character.
Nutrition
Tila and Kasih’s diet consists of 9 1/2 kg of meat a day for 5 days a week including rabbit, buffalo, horse and cattle. A considerable amount that is alternated with two days of fasting, after all you don’t eat every day in nature!
