December 2009
11 December 2009
This week Australia Zoo celebrated a massive milestone- our little Sumatran Tiger cubs turned two!
It doesn't seem that long ago that we were bottle feeding these cheeky three and able to pick them up with one hand. But now, Bashii, Maneki and Kaitlyn each weigh more than their handlers and are well and truly on their way to adulthood.
The three siblings, A.K.A ‘the smarties', came to us all the way from Bogor in Indonesia and are an important part of the Zoos Sumatran Tiger breeding program. They are the first Sumatran Tigers to be exported from Indonesia in almost 30years and Australia Zoo is very honored to have them!
Bashii, is a massive 105 kg boy who loves sleeping and eating. Maneki weighs in at 88 kg, talks nonstop and always wants to know what she is missing! Finally, little Kaitlyn weighs a mere 84 kg and loves attention from everyone. Don't let her size fool you; Kaitlyn is the best swimmer out of all the tigers at the Zoo- she even dives under water!
Despite their size, these three cheeky Sumatran Tigers are very playful and love to sneak up and jump on each other and their handlers! Their day is typically spent eating, resting, going for walks, playing in the pool and giving one another a good grooming!
Their birthday however, being such an important event was celebrated in a different way. The cubs did their usual favorite activities but we added some yummy treats and toys into the mix!
First off, being such a warm day they were treated to some giant ice blocks which were licked and floated on in the pools. Then it was present time! Our cute cubs were treated to large cardboard boxes filled with balloons and different smells- and they loved it! They ripped into the box, played with the balloons and investigated the smells inside.
After lunch, the cubs plunged into the pool to cool off with their favorite water toys!
When the day finally came to an end, the birthday cubs were asleep in no time- looking very adorable, of course. As they fell asleep, snuggled up to each other, we were all reminded that no matter how quick they grow up, they will always be our three cheeky tiger cubs.
4 Zoo Comments
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Raven 3rd January 2010 12:38:06 AEST
beautiful animals they are indeed hope they live long healthy lives
Hannah Franks 21st December 2009 10:00:13 AEST
they so cute. love they so much
sharon lindsay 16th December 2009 02:32:17 AEST
Congratulations on your birthday. So cute. Thank you team for looking after these beautiful creatures.
Jaime in Alabama 13th December 2009 21:36:13 AEST
Such gorgeous animals! Congratulations to them and Australia Zoo for such a wonderful job raising them! I believe these are some of the most beautiful tigers that I have ever seen!