*** Photo Opportunity ***

Media Advisory   

Editor note: Space may be limited. Please RSVP at 206.684.4838.

Popular stripes to move from Seattle to Tacoma
Zoos team up for tigers' departure exams

WHAT: They delighted hundreds of thousands of Woodland Park Zoo visitors, generated hundreds of votes for a naming poll, and have been star attractions since their 2002 birth…but it's now time for Sumatran tigers Jaya (jie-yah) and Suriya (soo-ree-ya) to head to a new home. But they're not going far away: the community can continue watching the twin sisters grow up at the beautiful new Asian Forest Sanctuary exhibit complex at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma.

Before leaving, the tigers will undergo a full examination administered by veterinarians from both zoos. Media are invited to one of the exams Thursday, May 6 . Veterinarians will do a full work-up including weight, blood work, x-rays and ultrasound. The tigers will be back on exhibit in the tiger grotto the following day until they depart for Point Defiance later this month.

WHEN: Thursday, May 6, 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

WHERE: Woodland Park Zoo's Animal Health Complex. Enter through the South Gate parking lot at N. 50 th St. & Fremont Ave. N. Drive straight through the road that winds north of the Rose Garden. It is the first building on the left.

WHO: Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium: Chief Veterinarian Dr. Holly Reed; zookeeper and tiger expert Andy Goldfarb. Woodland Park Zoo: Veterinarian Dr. Darin Collins; Collection Manager and member of the Tiger Species Survival Plan Steering Committee Bret Sellers. All will be available for interviews.

OTHER: The Sumatran tigers, born at Woodland Park Zoo in December 2002, marked the first offspring between mother JoJo and father Rakata (RAH-ka-ta). It also was a very significant birth for the North American zoo population of the species, which continues to drop due to aging tigers, a limited number of breeding animals and a low birth rate. Today, 57 individual Sumatran tigers exist in North American zoos.

Visitors to Point Defiance may see the tigers in the new Asian Forest Sanctuary when it opens this July. The tigers will be the stars of this cutting-edge 5-acre exhibit. Their primary habitat will be a bamboo forest, waterfall and stream, complete with heated boulders and “hot tubs” for winter months. The exhibit will feature seven other vanishing Asian species as well, including gibbons and river otters.

 All five tiger subspecies are endangered with only 5,000-7,500 wild tigers living in the world today. The Sumatran is very rare , with an estimated 400 left in the wild. Sumatran tigers are the smallest tiger subspecies and are found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

Both Woodland Park and Point Defiance participate in the Sumatran tiger Species Survival Plan (SSP). Under the auspices of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, the cooperative breeding program works to ensure genetic diversity and demographic stability in North American zoos and aquariums. SSPs also involve a variety of other collaborative conservation activities such as research, public education, reintroduction and field projects. Under the SSP, Woodland Park is currently reintroducing its adult tigers in hopes of another successful breeding and birth.

Accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, top award-winning Woodland Park Zoo is famed for pioneering naturalistic exhibits and setting a standard for zoos all over the world. The zoo is helping to save endangered species in Washington state and around the world. By inspiring visitors and others to care and act, Woodland Park Zoo is making a difference in our planet's future. For more information, call 206.684.4800 or visit www.zoo.org.

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, the only combined zoo and aquarium in the Northwest, also is accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association. The Tacoma zoo specializes in offering visitors close encounters with animals from Pacific Rim habitats. The zoo promotes responsible stewardship of the world's resources through education, conservation, research and educational opportunities. For more information, call 253.591.5337 or go online to www.pdza.org.

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