Photo Courtesy of PDZA
Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium’s (PDZA) newest cat, Bali, is settling into his new home quite nicely, after being let out of quarantine Oct. 24.
The 11-year-old Sumatran tiger’s unveiling was a big day at the zoo, attracting large crowds of human spectators to catch a glimpse of the new cat. Bali, however, was unfazed by the crowds of humans, yet “lead tiger guy” Andy Goldfarb noted the cat is enamored with watching the other animals.
Bali was transferred from San Francisco Zoo last month as part of a nationwide breeding program. At his old home, Bali was unable to see any animals other than other large cats. At PDZA, Bali gets to observe a variety of other animals in the Southeast Asia Exhibit.
“He’s never lived in a situation where there are all these other animals that he can see and smell. Bali is glued to the window – it’s great entertainment for him.”
So far, Bali also seems like a successful candidate for breeding with female, Jaya, something that Bali’s brother, Java (who also lives at the PDZA) has failed to do over the last couple of years.
So far, Bali sees his future mate, Jaya, every day through a protective barrier, but there has been no interaction between the two cats at this point.
Zoo staff plan to take it slow and need to see how Bali reacts to Jaya during her periods of estrus before they will put the two together to mate.
“We don’t know for sure when we’ll put Bali and Jaya together. So far his behavior toward her is great, and there are no signs of aggression. Still, we have to take it really slow and be careful.”
Bali has already successfully bred two litters of cubs at his old home, but it is important to create a diversity of DNA in the species’ small gene-pool, which is why he was transferred to PDZA to attempt to breed with Jaya.
“The most important factor is to help the gene pool out. You don’t want to continue breeding the same pair.”
Java will eventually be sent to Los Angeles to attempt to breed with a more experienced, aggressive female than Jaya.
Goldfarb expects Jaya to come into estrus fairly soon. In the meantime, Bali will continue to enjoy his new surroundings at Point Defiance.
“That way we can get a good handle on his behavior. Bali is pretty mellow already… pretty amazing how well he’s adapted to his new home.”
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