New Sumatran tiger arrives at Honolulu Zoo

The Honolulu Zoo has announced the arrival of a new Sumatran tiger, which will be housed with her mate at the zoo.

The City and County of Honolulu announced today that 5-year-old Anala was transported to the zoo on Thursday. The female tiger was raised in Central Florida.

The tiger’s father, Malosi, was born at the Honolulu Zoo in 2008, before being transferred on a breeding loan to Washington in 2012 and then to Central Florida in 2014. Malosi sired Anala and her brother, Jeda, in Florida in 2017.

Anala will be housed with her new mate, Seattle, in an exhibit next to Chrissie, a female tiger that’s also Anala’s biological grandmother, the city said.

“With the assistance of the Honolulu Police Department’s solo bike escort team once again, we are happy to announce our new Sumatran tiger arrived safely at the Honolulu Zoo,” said Honolulu Zoo Director Linda Santos in a statement. “We are very fortunate that the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) identified Anala as a genetically suitable match for Seattle, our male tiger, and are very excited about this being a special homecoming event. We look forward to Anala meeting her grandmother, and are crossing our fingers that Anala and Seattle will successfully breed and produce great-grandchildren for Chrissie.”

Sumatran tigers are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. The species’ total population is believe to consist of no more than 400 individuals.

The Honolulu Zoo’s Aloha Aina Conservation Fund has provided support for conservation efforts of Sumatran tigers in the wild through the AZA SSP’s Tiger Conservation Campaign.