The Real Celtic Tigers – The Spin at Dublin Zoo

Today we met up with James Creighton at Dublin Zoo to see the Sumatran Tigers and their cubs.  The Sumatran Tiger is an extremely rare species with only 500 believed to exist in the wild and around 400 in captivity.  The tigers are the smallest of all tigers (though that’s hard to believe) and have webbing between their toes makes it a very fast swimmer.  

Male Sumatran tigers average 234 cm (7 feet, 8 inches) in length from head to tail and weigh about 136 kg (300 pounds). Females average 198 cm (78 inches) in length and weigh about 91 kg (200 pounds). Its stripes are narrower than other subspecies of tigers’ stripes, and it has a more bearded and maned appearance, especially the males.

Its small size makes it easier to move through the jungle. It has webbing between its toes that, when spread, makes Sumatran tigers very fast swimmers. It has been known to drive hoofed prey into the water, especially if the prey animal is a slow swimmer.

You can learn more about the tigers on the Dublin Zoo site here or on Wikipedia here or by ging to visit them in Phoenix Park.  The young 6 moth old cubs pictured in the gallery will only be here for 12 months so make sure you see them before they go, they are incredible.

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