San Diego Zoo

San Diego Zoo

The Malayan Tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni) an endangered subspecies of tiger found in the forests of Malay Peninsula, southern tip of Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia, is one of the many featured animals worth visiting at the San Diego Zoo. Recently, the pair of male 2-week-old Malayan Tiger cubs born at the Zoo opened their eyes, their first milestone in a long process to adulthood. Even with their eyes open, like newborn humans, the cubs can't see very well (just shadows) and will spend the next two months inside the den, moving only to nurse and adjust. The pair are being raised by their 12-year-old mother, Mek Degong, and are expected to make their public debut when they're about 3 months old.
As one of the most common tigers, the Malayan still resides on the endangered list with only around 500 left in the wild, down from a population of more than 3,000 in the mid-nineteenth century. Tigers like Mek Degong require large abundant amounts of space in the wild to survive, and typically prey on small deer, wild boar and the occasional sun bear and elephant calf.
Conservation of the Malayan tiger is supported in their native homelands, although a majority of tigers live outside of national protected areas and are still threatened by deforesting, poaching and illegal trade. The San Diego Zoo, along with other zoos involved in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan, offers conservation and breeding plans for the tiger species.
Historically, the Malayan Tiger is depicted on the Malaysia coat of arms, and on the insignia for the Grup Gerak Khas, a special forces regiment of the Malaysian army. During World War II, the Japanese general Tomoyuki Yamashita was nicknamed "Tiger of Malaya" after his capture of 130,000 British, Indian and Australian troops during the Japanese invasion of Malaya (now part of Malaysia), which Yamashita helped conduct. It remains the largest surrender of British troops in history.

San Diego Zoo