Tacoma zoo welcomes new Sumatran tiger

TACOMA — A new Sumatran tiger is on the prowl at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, and officials are hoping he plays nice with the ladies.

Raja is 2, weighs in at 295 pounds and is a laid-back cat who loves to roll around in the grass and watch tapirs in their nearby enclosure. He hails from the Topeka Zoo & Conservation Center in Kansas.

Now that he’s living in Tacoma, keepers hope Raja will eventually mate with one of the zoo’s female tigers, sisters Kali, 8; Kirana, 6; or Indah, 6.

“We’re working hard to protect and boost the population of this critically endangered species, and Raja’s genetics are very valuable,” said Karen Goodrowe-Beck, the zoo’s general curator and coordinator for the Species Survival Plan for tigers in North American zoos.

There are only about 75 Sumatran tigers in accredited zoos in North America. About 400 remain in the wild on their native Indonesian island of Sumatra.

Few Sumatran tiger cubs have been born in recent years, Goodrowe-Beck said. The last litter at Point Defiance Zoo was six years ago, when Kirana and Indah were born.

Although Raja is old enough to father a litter, tigers usually don’t mate until age 3. Keepers are also waiting to see if Raja bonds with any of the female tigers.

He has been introduced to Kali, Kirana and Indah through a mesh enclosure but has not yet been together with any of them.