Auckland City Council
Media release

8 September 2008

Tiger cubs get names with meaning

Jalur, Berani and Cinta have taken out top honours in Auckland Zoo’s “name the cubs” competition, which received over 58,000 votes to name the 13-week-old Sumatran tiger cubs.

The competition has been running since early August with hundreds of suggestions received, which the keepers narrowed down to three per cub. Members of the public then voted in a free online poll for their preferred name.

Weighing 10.6kgs, the zoo’s largest and more dominant male cub has been christened Jalur (pronounced J’lure). Meaning stripes in Malay, Jalur was the most popular of all the cub names with over 10,000 votes received. Keepers say it’s particularly fitting for this cub, which has the strongest stripe markings around his face.

In a tight vote the other male cub has been named Berani (pronounced Brrr-ra-ni). The Indonesian name means spirited, brave or courageous, and is a popular tiger name worldwide. At his final vet check on 3 September Berani was the smallest cub, weighing 8.3kg.

The zoo’s female cub has a more typically feminine name, Cinta, which means love in Indonesian (pronounced Sinta). Weighing 8.6kg, Cinta is the most developed of the cubs with better co-ordination and motor skills, although all three cubs have a clean bill of health and are progressing well.

“It’s wonderful to have names for the cubs, and we can now start the process of getting them used to their names. The three names go well together and are also easy to say – which is great for everyone,” says Auckland Zoo carnivore team leader, Andrew Coers.

“Jalur, Berani and Cinta are going to be great ambassadors for their critically endangered species, and hopefully inspire people to take positive action to help save them from extinction.”

The cubs are expected to be on display in Visa Entertainment Tiger Territory within the next few weeks.

ENDS

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