On Sunday 26th September, Melbourne Zoo will celebrate International Tiger Day to help raise awareness of the plight of Tigers in the wild.

Melbourne Zoo is home to six Sumatran Tigers – Ramalon, Binjai and our newest additions, cubs Rani, Hutan, Aceh and Indrah – who are part of the Zoo’s participation in an international breeding program.

The Conservation Issue
In the wild there are less than 5000 tigers struggling to survive. Sumatran Tigers are the most endangered of the surviving tiger subspecies. There are approximately 300 Sumatran Tigers surviving in their native rainforest.

The continuing loss of rainforest due to rapid expansion of palm oil plantations, deforestation and illegal hunting (poaching) of tigers to supply their body parts for the traditional Chinese medicine market are a major cause of the tiger population decline.

Zoos Victoria’s Involvement
Melbourne Zoo’s tigers are part of the International Captive Management Plan administered by the Zoos & Aquarium Association, along with 12 other zoos in Australian and New Zealand.

Melbourne Zoo also supports Sumatran Tiger conservation as a major partner of a habitat protection project in Aceh. 

Zoos Victoria works in partnership with local authorities and Fauna and Flora International (FFI), helping to fund protection of the Gunung Leusur National Park, where tigers still survive.

How You Can Help
Click on the headings below for more information.

ADOPT A TIGER
From as little as $10 per month.

VISIT US
Visit Melbourne Zoo’s Sumatran Tigers on Tiger Day, and see one of our keeper talks to find out more about these amazing animals.

BECOME A MEMBER
Gain access to Melbourne Zoo all year round and to see our cubs grow.

DONATE
Make a donation to support Zoos Victoria’s conservation work.

GO BEHIND-THE-SCENES
Book an amazing behind-the-scenes experience with our cubs.

Tiger Facts – Did You Know?

• The tiger, largest of all cats, is one of the most threatened animal species on earth.
• Three tiger subspecies - the Bali, Javan, and Caspian - have become extinct in the past 70 years. The six remaining subspecies - Amur, Bengal, Indochinese, Malayan, South China, and Sumatran - live only in Asia, and all are threatened by poaching and habitat loss.
• Sumatran tigers are protected by law in Indonesia, with tough provisions for jail time and steep fines.
• Tiger bone and other tiger parts are reportedly still smuggled out of Sumatra. Traders report that tiger parts are sold to Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia and China. Singapore and Malaysia may act as transit countries as well as consumers for tiger parts.
• Zoos Victoria works closely with Fauna & Flora International to protect a major part of Indonesia’s Gunung Leuser National Park in northern Sumatra. This is a critically important region where Sumatran Orang-utans, Sumatran Tigers and Sumatran Elephants all still survive.
• Just like Orang-utans, the Sumatran tiger is under threat from palm oil. Their habitat is rapidly disappearing, cut down to make way for oil palm plantations.
• As Tiger habitat is destroyed these animals venture into community areas looking for food, which fuels human –wildlife conflict.
• At the rate of deforestation Orang-utans and Sumatran Tigers could be extinct in the wild in less than 10 years.
• Once palm oil is labelled on all food products, consumers can exert pressure for a sustainable palm oil industry. Without labelling, consumer influence is difficult and our right to make informed decisions is taken from us.