Nyla Sumatran Tigress (Panthera tigris)

NYLA is a female Sumatran Tigress. She was donated to us from another facility.   Her lineage is 82% Sumatran and 18% Indochinese Tiger.  Nyla is a 12 year old tigress and weighs about 325 pounds. And, Nyla is an actress! In 1997 she starred in an Exxon commercial!

It is believed that only about 200 Sumatran tigers exist, in and out of captivity.  Sumatran tigers are found only on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia.  Forest loss due to agriculture and poaching continues to decrease their numbers.

Nyla is a very vocal cat as many tigers are.  All of these cats here express themselves to us in their own special way.  Nyla, like all the other cats, is leash broken and house broken, which means they know how to use a litter box.  Nyla goes with us as part of our outreach program acting as an ambassador of her species.  Our hope is to stimulate minds, young and old, to do just one thing in their lives — to save these beautiful Big Cats for future generations.  We educate young and old how serious it is to protect the Sumatran's as well as all tigers environments.

In many ways the tiger today stands at a crossroad — behind it lay years of depletion through over-hunting and loss of natural habitat.  If this trend continues, the road ahead is one of total extinction for the wild tiger.   However, two further paths lay open, those of conservation in its natural habitat and controlled management of existing captive animals.  Just which path the tiger takes is not up to the animals — but up to us.

Tiger Statistics:

Body Length 4.9 - 9.2 feet;
tail 2 - 3 feet
Weight up to 350 pounds
Gestation Period 104-106 days
Litter Size 2-4 average
Life Span 15 - 20 years
Status

Critically Endangered

Status of the Tiger

Tiger Sub-species Minimum Maximum
Bengal Indian Tiger 3800 4735
Siberian Tiger (Amur)
160 230
South China Tiger 20
30
Sumatran Tiger 190
210
Indo-Chinese Tiger 1180 1790
White Tiger
300
Totals (rounded) 5200 7000

OUR MISSION

The mission of the Barry R. Kirshner Wildlife Foundation is to educate the public about the care and preservation of all wildlife and their habitats, both local and global. learn more

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