The Sacramento Zoo announced Monday that a Sumatran tiger gave
birth to a male cub in the early hours of March 3. “The birth of
any Sumatran tiger is a great contribution to this critically
endangered species,” said Zoo Director Mary Healy. The male cub
weighed in at a heavy three pounds. Newborn cubs usually weigh
about two pounds. Both mother and baby appear to be healthy,
according to zoo officials. Born with eyes closed, cubs rely
entirely on their mother for the first three months of their
lives. During this time, zoo officials say the mother, Bahagia,
and her cub will be kept away from public view as the baby
develops. Both are expected to return to exhibit by late May or
early June. Castro, the father was reportedly diagnosed with
lymphoma, a form of cancer, in early February. He and Bahagia
now have five living offspring, one of which just fathered a cub
at the nearby San Francisco Zoo. The endangered tigers are only
found on the Indonesian island of Sumatra off the Malaysian
Peninsula. Fewer than 500