| Nashville Zoo has announced the names of the three critically endangered Sumatran tiger cubs born recently at the facility The public voting contest kicked off December 15 and closed January 11. People voted with a donation to tiger conservation and the Zoo matched dollar for dollar. The zoo just under $8,000 for the Tiger Conservation Fund, an organization helping to save native habitats, curb poaching, eliminate the trade of tiger parts and reduce human/tiger conflicts. The name for the male cub is Bulan (BOO-lan) an Indonesian name meaning moon. The first female cub was named Zara (ZAR-ah), a Malaysian name meaning princess and radiant. The name for the other female is Kirana (key-RAHN-ah), an Indonesian name meaning beautiful sunbeam. The cubs were born on October 20, 2023, and are continuing to live behind the scenes and bond with mom, Anne. Once the cubs mature, they will eventually move to other zoos to meet their future mates and continue to help grow the population numbers for this species. In the meantime, Nashville Zoo is hopeful that sometime this spring the three tiger cubs will be visible for guests to see in the Tiger Crossroads habitat. For more information on the tiger cubs, visit www.nashvillezoo.org. |
