Tiger Cub Makes His Public Debut

The Sacramento Zoo announces the long anticipated public debut of CJ, the male Sumatran Tiger cub born March 3, 2013. The cub has remained behind the scenes with his mother while he gained the strength and coordination to maneuver the terrain of the outdoor habitat.

Now, at three months old, he will explore the exhibit with curiosity and excitement. The new sights and smells are sure to entertain this energetic young male between lengthy catnaps.

“We are excited that we can now share CJ with the public as he is now old enough to explore the exhibit with his mom,” said Harrison Edell, General Curator at the Sacramento Zoo. “This is a big milestone for the cub, and we hope that as the public gets to know CJ they will be inspired to learn more about his wild counterparts.”

Tigers are solitary creatures and the father does not assist in the raising of cubs. For this reason, CJ and mom will explore the outdoor habitat during the day while the male lounges outside in the evening and overnight.

Sumatran Tigers are critically endangered and found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra off the Malaysian Peninsula. Fewer than 500 Sumatran Tigers are believed to exist in the wild and approximately 200 live in the zoos around the world. The Sacramento Zoo participates in the Sumatran Tiger Species Survival Plan® (SSP), coordinated by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. SSPs are cooperative breeding and conservation programs designed to maintain genetically viable populations of animals in captivity, and to organize zoo and aquarium-based efforts to preserve the species in nature.

 



Black & White Ruffed Lemur Babies

The Sacramento Zoo is excited to announce the birth of four Black and White Ruffed Lemur babies. The lemurs were born on May 17, 2013 and have been growing fast in an off-exhibit area with mom.

Ruffed lemurs are the only primate that keeps their young in nests instead of carrying them around. In the wild they would use tree cavities and crooks to nest in, but at the Zoo the keepers provide other nesting options like tubs and crates that are place in different locations. The mom moves her young from one nest to the other, as she sees fit.

At a few weeks of age the infants start following mom around and practicing their climbing skills. They are currently in an off-exhibit area, but you can sometimes see them bouncing around through the last mesh door on the left side of the exhibit.  This also allows the father and older brother to get to know the youngsters through the mesh and will help with the introduction process when they come out into the large exhibit.

Infants are born with their adult coloration, just mini-sized. Every individual is slightly different in coat pattern with a lot of variety in amounts of white, black and even some shades of brown. Eye color often starts out as a blue color and then changes (multiple times in the same individual), to various shades of yellow, gold or green.



4 days old. Photo credit: Christa Klein

4 days old. Photo credit: Christa Klein

8 days old. Photo credit: Christa Klein

12 days old. Photo credit: Christa Klein

14 days old. Photo credit: Christa Klein

 

24 days old.

Tiger Cub, Week 14 Update & Video

CJ the Sumatran Tiger cub is in his 14th week and up to 28 pounds! The not-so-little guy is a ball of energy and plays with mom as much as he can. In the video below you can see him wrestling with a palm tree trunk and playing chase with mom.

The zookeepers have been busy prepping the exhibit and "tiger cub proofing" for CJ's debut with mom that will happen within the next week.

91 days old. Photo credit: Erik Bowker

92 days old. Photo credit: Erik Bowker

92 days old. Photo credit: Erik Bowker

92 days old. Photo credit: Erik Bowker

 

 

 

New Greenhouse Sprouts Up at the Zoo

Visitors are often amazed not only by the animals but also by the lush landscaping and the variety of vegetation at the Sacramento Zoo. Many of these plants serve a dual purpose. They provide shade and beauty on Zoo grounds and fresh plant material for zoo animal diets.

This plant material is called browse and it supplements animal diets and serves as enrichment to help them stay physically and mentally active.  For example, the Zoo feeds the giraffes acacia branches, the Red Panadas eat bamboo that is grown near their exhibit and roses are given to the primates as a special treat.

Now, thanks in part to a grant from the Dwelle Family Foundation, the Zoo has a new, much needed greenhouse. This greenhouse will increase the Zoo’s sustainability by raising seedling and shoots in a protected environment.

Zoo horticulturist Michaela Bergera is excited to grow plants such as orchids, bamboo, trees and grasses that will help keep the Zoo looking beautiful and enrich the animals.

Tiger Cub, Week 13 Update & Video

In his 13th week, CJ the Sumatran Tiger cub is up to 26 pounds and still growing. CJ and mom spend a lot of time in the off-exhibit outside yard getting used to all the things CJ will encounter in the public exhibit. He is still hesitant but curious about new things and was recently introduced to some toys and quickly discovered how chewy they were.

83 days old. Photo credit: Erik Bowker

84 days old. Photo credit: Erik Bowker

86 days old. Photo credit: Erik Bowker

87 days old. Photo credit: Erik Bowker

Tiger Cub Week 12, Update & Video

CJ the Sumatran Tiger cub is now in his 12th week and weights 24 lbs! He was recently introduced to a new off-exhibit space that has grass, dirt, leaves, rocks and other new things for him to explore and become accustomed to before his transition to the pubic exhibit which will happen in a few weeks.

You can watch as he tentatively explores the new space in the video below and bouncing off the walls while playing with mom.


73 days old. Photo credit: Erik Bowker

78 days old. Photo credit: Erik Bowker

79 days old. Photo credit: Erik Bowker

82 days old. Photo credit: Erik Bowker



 

Burrowing Owl Chicks Hatch

Seven Burrowing Owl chicks hatched over Mother's Days weekend here at the Sacramento Zoo. Four are inside the exhibit burrow and will start making appearances outside the nest over the next couple of months.

The other three chicks are being hand-raised to become outreach animals, acting as ambassadors for their wild counterparts. You can see the chicks in the video below being hand-fed. They each have a different color dot on their heads for identification purposes since they are weighed daily and have individual food needs.

Burrowing Owls were the stars of the book Hoot by Carl Hiaasen that was later made into a movie. They are native to North America and can be seen in grassy fields right here in the Sacramento Valley. Burrowing owls are a very important grassland predator that helps keep rodent populations in check.