Auckland Zoo/Supplied
Auckland Zoo Sumatran tigers Ramah and Zayana “like each other a lot”.
Auckland Zoo visitors may hear more roaring than usual, as its Sumatran tigers do the wild thing.
Tigers Zayana and Ramah arrived at the zoo from the USA in November 2022 and were introduced to each other for the first time in May.
It is hoped the pair will contribute some young to an international breeding programme for the critically endangered species.
There are fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers in the wild, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
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Auckland Zoo/Supplied
Auckland Zoo female Sumatran tiger Zayana has been rolling around in front of Ramah to try and catch his attention.
Auckland Zoo reported that its two tigers seemed to “like each other a lot”, as the pair had mated 95 times during their first rendezvous.
In the wild, tigers can mate between 200 to 250 times during the female’s four-to-seven-day oestrus period – the optimal and safest time for mating.
“Successful mating takes time and practice,” carnivore keeper Nick Parashchak said in a statement.
However, the zoo was uncertain whether male tiger Ramah had accurately completed his part of the job the first time around.
Additionally, female Sumatran tigers need to mate many times to fall pregnant, as their ovulation is induced by stimulation.
“This month, Ramah has a lot more confidence, and both tigers’ courtship behaviours are much stronger towards one another, and we think Ramah is definitely hitting the mark more this time around.”
Parashchak noted that zoo staff were impressed by the respect Ramah has for Zayana.
Auckland Zoo/Supplied
It is hoped Ramah will have more accuracy during his second mating session with Zayana.
Behaviours that indicate Zayana is in oestrus included both tigers roaring, chuffing (a friendly greeting which sounds like puffy whispering), face rubbing through the mesh which separates their enclosures and Zayana rolling around in front of Ramah.
Zookeepers will monitor the big cats for about a week until the mating period ends.
Zayana and Ramah will then return to their separate habitats, as wild tigers are primarily solitary, only coming together to breed.
Female Sumatra tigers come into oestrous every three to nine weeks, according to the zoo.
RYAN ANDERSON/STUFF
Concrete enclosures and chimpanzee tea parties were once common, but 100 years after its founding the zoo is now a bastion of conservation.
Gestation is around 100-108 days and the average litter size is two to three cubs.
Threats to wild Sumatran tigers include habitat loss due to palm-oil deforestation, human conflict and poaching.
Part of the Auckland Zoo ticket cost is donated to wild tiger conservation projects, including The Tiger Protection Project, which aims to protect Sumatran tigers at Kerinci Seblat National Park in Sumatra, Indonesia.
The park spans 1.38 million hectares and is home to around 166 tigers.
Funding from the Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund helped create the Rapid Reaction Unit, which responds to poaching threats at the park.
