TIGERS: At the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum
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| Cats by John Seidensticker and Susan Lumpkin Zoo Store Online |
Sumatran Tiger Cubs' Debut
Saturday, September 2
10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The National Zoo and FONZ will celebrate the official public debut of the Zoo's three Sumatran tiger cubs on September 2. Come to the Great Cats exhibit to enjoy special talks by Zoo keepers, arts and crafts for kids, giveaways, and discovery tables where kids can see and touch tiger artifacts and objects such as a tiger skull, claws, and pelt, and the big, rubber "boomer balls" the tigers play with.
Nearly 20,000 votes were cast to name the cubs, born on May 24, and the winning names for the two females and one male will be announced at the event. Thanks to everyone who voted. The choices were:
| male |
first female |
second female |
| Bejo (lucky) |
Mawar (rose) | Kemala (magic stone) |
| Guntur (thunder) | Kamboja (frangipani flower) |
Melati (jasmine) |
| Jati (teak wood) | Maharani (queen) | Ndari (pretty or beautiful) |
The winner of the Postcards to Protect contest, presented by the National Zoo, Save The Tiger Fund, and ExxonMobil Foundation, will be introduced on September 2, and will be given a special, private tour to meet the cubs. Thanks to all the children who entered the contest.
Representatives from Save The Tiger Fund will answer your questions on all things tiger and share information about their conservation programs. Employees from ExxonMobil will be making papier-mâché balls for male tiger Rokan, the cubs' father, and female African lion Lusaka. The balls are used as enrichment items for the Zoo's tigers and lions, promoting exercise and developing hunting and pouncing behaviors that may be seen in the wild.
