PREVIEW

A critically endangered tiger cub has celebrated its first birthday.

Lestari, whose birth on 4 July 2023 was captured on CCTV, was the first Sumatran tiger cub to be born at West Midlands Safari Park in its history.

To mark the one-year milestone, keepers prepared a variety of treats for Lestari, including a cake made from frozen goat’s milk and chunks of meat, along with some shaped, blood ice blocks.

They also provided her with some of her favourite toys, such as large boomer balls. One of these she used as a bath toy, pushing it into a pool to splash around.

Head Keeper of Carnivores, Chris Hodgkins, said, “When Lestari arrived a year ago, the keepers and I were over the moon. However, we started to notice something wasn’t quite right with her legs and so our vet team had to step in, to carry out daily physiotherapy to aid her walking.

“The physio was a success and Lestari has gone from strength to strength since. This has created a very special bond with us all and to see her progress and become stronger every day has been very rewarding.”

He added, “Lestari is very active and mischievous - she will always explore any enrichment we provide. Although she seems very independent at times, she still looks for her mum, Dourga, and never wanders far from her side. The keepers worked really hard to ensure a very easy introduction with her dad, Nakal, who she has also bonded extremely well with. We often see her playing with Nakal and giving him a good run around! It’s amazing to see that our efforts a year ago have paid off and we’re all very proud of the young tiger Lestari has become.”

Sumatran tigers are classified as ‘critically endangered,’ indicating an extremely high risk of extinction in the near future. There are estimated to be fewer than 400 individuals left in the wild, and their numbers continue to decline.

All tigers in the wild face an uncertain future due to conflict with humans, habitat loss, and poaching for the illegal trade in tiger body parts.