LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Louisville Zoo's first Sumatran tiger cub in over two decades finally has a name.
Zookeepers at the Islands selected three potential names reflecting the cub's importance to his species' survival and in honor of his parents, 16-year-old Kami Sambal and 14-year-old Jingga. Over the last several days, the community has been voting on which name they like the most for the cub.
"This is the first tiger birth we've had in over 20 years," said Louisville Zoo Director Dan Maloney. "We're really excited."
After nearly 5,000 votes, on Friday, Skylar Bischof-Thomas, an 8-year-old patient at Norton Children's, helped reveal the winning name: Kaji, which is a combination of both the cub's parents’ names, Kami and Jingga.
"Their legacy will live on through this cub, contributing to the conservation of Sumatran tigers for future generations," Zoo officials said.
Kaji was born on July 23, 2024. He's the first Sumatran tiger to be born at Louisville's zoo in over 20 years, officials said.
According to Zoo officials, Kaji and Jingga are some of the last of the mainland tigers. There are only approximately 400 left in wild, largely due to palm oil plantations taking a toll on the wildlife
"I'm here just to say thank you," Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said. "Thank you for every teammate at the Louisville Zoo for making the Zoo special all year round."
If you're looking to see the tiger cub and his mother, Jingga, you can find them in the Banjar House habitat at the Islands exhibit on Tuesdays, Wednesday, Saturdays and Sundays, weather permitting.
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