Key Facts

• Conservation Status: Critically Endangered
• Distribution: Sumatra, Indonesia
• Habitat: Tropical broadleaf evergreen forests, freshwater swamp forests and peat swamps
• Diet: Ungulates, birds, fish and monkeys
• Height: up to 60cm
• Weight: 165–308 pounds
• Gestation: 3.5 months
• No. of young: 3 – 4
• Life Span: 15-20 years

Sumatran tigers are classified on the IUCN Red List as Critically Endangered with less than 400 individuals left in the wild of Sumatra, Indonesia.

The smallest of the sub-species, their black and orange stripes help them to hide in long grass and shadows of the forest. Male Sumatran tigers have particularly long fur around the face, giving them a distinctive maned appearance.

An apex predator, tigers are carnivorous and their diet consists of ungulates, birds, fish and monkeys. They hunt by stealth, creeping close enough to the prey before attacking their victim with a fatal pounce.

The main threats to Sumatran tigers in the wild include poaching for their bones, fur and whiskers for medicine and trophy; human-wildlife conflict, where tigers and humans are encroaching areas towards each other; habitat loss, due to agricultural land use; climate change which affects the movement and location of tiger prey species.

According to a survey from TRAFFIC, the global wildlife trade monitoring network, poaching for trade is responsible for over 78% of estimated Sumatran tiger deaths – amounting to at least 40 animals per year.

As a flagship species, Sumatran tigers are a critical part of Sumatra’s eco-system and by working together to help protect the species, we can protect lots of other species including the Sumatran orangutan, Siamang, small primates, insects as well as plants.

(All information from www.twycrosszoo.org)