In February, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo welcomed Indrah, a two-month-old Malayan tiger cub from Tulsa Zoo in Oklahoma, to join its two Amur tiger cubs born in December.
Since her arrival, Indrah has bonded well with her new feline companions, seamlessly slipping into the role of a big sister.
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The zoo’s executive director, Chris Kuhar, remarked on the unexpected camaraderie among the cubs, stating, “They get along very well.
You never know how it will go—especially with tigers—but they’re acting like they’ve been siblings all along.”
Both the Amur and Malayan tiger mothers lacked maternal instincts, putting their offspring at risk. After consultation with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), which oversees species conservation efforts, it was determined that it would be most beneficial for Indrah to join the Amur cubs.
Following discussions between Cleveland and Tulsa Zoos, Cleveland emerged as the most suitable environment for all three tiger kittens.
“It helps to raise the cubs in one big group,” explains Kuhar. “And we can care for all three of them here.”
Despite belonging to different subspecies, the three young tigers are being hand-reared together for socialization and behavioral purposes.
Once they reach sufficient strength and independence, they will inhabit the Rosebrough Tiger Passage as their permanent home.
“When we raise tigers together, it puts them in a good position for socialization and breeding,” Kuhar adds.
“They learn ‘tiger behavior’ that way—something we can’t teach them. And when they move on to adulthood, they’ll socialize like they would in the wild.”
Like the Amur tigers, Indrah belongs to an endangered species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified Malayan tigers as critically endangered, with only a few hundred remaining in their native Malay Peninsula in Southeast Asia.
Considering the endangered status of all three cubs, visitors to “The Passage” can learn more about poaching and habitat loss when its doors reopen this spring.
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