wo tiger cubs have been captured having some good old playground fun this week at London Zoo. Sumatran tiger cubs Zac and Crispin took full advantage of their new swing, set up by zookeepers for the energetic siblings to practice their balancing and jumping skills.
The cubs, who recently turned one, were soon joined by parents Gaysha and Asim who couldn’t resist getting in on the action.
“Zac and Crispin both have really playful personalities, so they pounced at the opportunity to play on the swing,” explained tiger keeper Tara Humphrey. “Tigers can leap forward an impressive 10 metres from a sitting position, so the added challenge of a moving target in the form of the swing tested that spatial awareness cats are so well known for.
“We’re always thinking of new ways to encourage the tigers to use all their natural skills, so we also left a scattering of toys and a stimulating scent trail of their favourite nutmeg and cinnamon to lead them across Tiger Territory towards their new swing-set.”
“Like most siblings, Zac and Crispin sometimes struggle to share their toys, but they soon realised there was plenty of room on the swing for the whole family,” Tara added. “Sumatran tigers can sleep up to 20 hours a day, so once the excitement of the new toy had worn off a little, the swing made the perfect lazy hammock for mum Gaysha to lie back and relax in.”
There are sadly only 400 Sumatran tigers left in the wild, and about 4,500 tigers left in total. Sumatran tigers are the world’s rarest subspecies of tigers, and they remain threatened by factors such as illegal hunting and habitat destruction in their native Indonesia.
ZSL, the international conservation charity behind London Zoo, coordinates an important and much-needed global breeding programme for the species, set up to protect and boost their numbers. The organisation works to protect tigers and other threatened species in the wild.
The ZSL Sustainable Business Finance works with businesses and industries based in the Sumatran tiger’s natural habitat to assess the environmental policies and practices of palm oil, timber, pulp and natural rubber companies across Indonesia, providing the transparency the sector needs and increasing their accountability.