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Honolulu Zoo is now home to a new male Sumatran tiger

COURTESY HONOLULU ZOO
                                The Honolulu Zoo welcomed a new, male Sumatran tiger named Satu.
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COURTESY HONOLULU ZOO

The Honolulu Zoo welcomed a new, male Sumatran tiger named Satu.

Honolulu Zoo on Friday welcomed the arrival of a male Sumatran tiger named Satu.

The 8-year-old tiger comes to Hawaii from Cameron Park Zoo in Waco, Texas, and is expected to be a suitable companion for Anala, Honolulu Zoo’s female tiger, according to officials.

“We are very fortunate that the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan was able to identify Satu as a genetically suitable match for Anala, our female tiger, as getting the right fit is always a challenge,” said Linda Santos, Honolulu Zoo director, in a news release. “We are all very thrilled to welcome Satu and hope that he and Anala will become a compatible pair.”

The Honolulu Police Department provided a bike escort for Satu’s transport from the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport to the Honolulu Zoo in Waikiki.

Satu was born in Miami, Fla., and weighs 229 pounds. He enjoys training and enrichment activities, especially toys, according to the zoo.

Under state law, he is required to quarantine for four months and will remain in a separate habitat adjacent to Anala’s during this period.

Both Satu and Anala can be viewed daily in their habitats near Honolulu Zoo’s Kapahulu Market concession. Satu is in the habitat closest to the children’s playground.

The Sumatran tiger, or Panthera tigris sumatrae, is endemic to the tropical island of Sumatra, the largest island in Indonesia’s Sunda Island chain.

The tigers are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with only about 400 to 600 remaining in the wild.

IUCN says the species’ main threats include poaching, human-tiger conflicts, and loss of habitat due to the expansion of oil palm and acacia plantations.

The Honolulu Zoo’s Aloha ‘Aina Conservation Fund has provided longtime support for the conservation efforts of Sumatran tigers in the wild through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan Tiger Conservation Campaign.

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