Mayang and Andalas have been revealed as the names for the two tiger cubs at the Hamilton Zoo. Photo / Hamilton Zoo
Mayang and Andalas have been revealed as the names for the two tiger cubs at the Hamilton Zoo. Photo / Hamilton Zoo
Hamilton Zoo has decided on names for its two Sumatran tiger cubs.
After considering the cubs’ personalities they were named Mayang and Andalas, reflecting a connection to their wild Sumatran counterparts.
The zoo’s announcement said Mayang was a popular name amongst the Jambi people, and referred to a legendary Sultan’s daughter who sparked a war with her beauty, resulting in the establishment of a powerful kingdom in Jambi. Andalas is an ancient Melayu word meaning the island of Sumatra.
The Zoo’s exotics curator, Mark Turner said they were grateful for the assistance of the Tiger Protection Conservation Unit (TPCU) in finalising the names.
Hamilton Zoo tiger mum Kirana with her two cubs. Photo / Hamilton Zoo
He said they did a lot of research and the names had good meanings.
“Names stick with you your whole life so I think it’s nice connecting [Mayang and Andalas] to their wild counterparts.
“It was a long time coming but we just wanted to look more into it, which is a reason why having them now is so special to us, and I think the names suit them well.”
TPCU had a shortlist of names and the winning two were picked out by Hamilton Mayor Paula Southgate, and Deputy Mayor Angela O’Leary after observing the cubs’ personalities.
The TPCU was involved with work to protect Sumatran tigers and other key species across Kerinci Seblat National Park, which was the largest, and most important tiger population in Sumatra.
Earlier this month, Turner told the Waikato Herald that tiger parents, Scout and Kirana, as well as the cubs’, are all doing well.
“Scout (father) has seen them through the mesh and he’s quite interested in them and jumps at them. He’s seen them a few times, and it’s been really cute for us to see.
“The cubs are doing well and at this stage, they’re getting to the point where they’re outside more than inside. We hope that in the upcoming weeks, they’re out more often for people to see them more.
Sumatran tiger, Scout, was originally born in Australia and was brought to the Hamilton Zoo as part of a breeding programme to conserve their species. Photo / Malisha Kumar
“Kirana is healthy and doing well. It’s cute when she interacts with the cubs, there’s a lot more playing going on now. They annoy her a little bit so sometimes she moves away from them and lets them play by themselves, it’s very cute.”
Scout was born at Australia Zoo and was previously kept at Christchurch’s Orana Wildlife Park before he was brought to his Hamilton residence in August last year as part of a breeding programme to conserve the species.
The Hamilton cubs are the first to be born at the zoo since the birth of Kirana and her brother, Kembali, in 2014.
Malisha Kumar is a multimedia journalist based in Hamilton. She joined the Waikato Herald in 2023 after working for Radio 1XX in Whakatāne.
