Auckland Zoo's Sumatran tiger that killed her own cub last month is ready to mate again.
In September, the four-year-old tiger named Zayana gave birth to two cubs, with one of them dying during delivery. Left with only one offspring, the tiger killed the cub overnight.
Last week, Zayana came back into oestrus - or mating season - and was reunited with Ramah, the male Sumatran tiger at Auckland Zoo.
"The premature death of these cubs triggered Zayana to come back into oestrous quickly to give her the best opportunity of breeding again and hopefully producing a larger, healthier litter of cubs," the zoo said.
Six-year-old Ramah came to Auckland Zoo from Oklahoma City Zoo in November last year, while 4-year-old Zayana came from Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center in Kansas.
With their arrival came a breeding recommendation from the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums global species management plan for Sumatran tigers.
Auckland Zoo carnivore lead senior keeper Nick Parashchak said after last month's incident, Zayana and Ramah were reconnecting well.
"[They have] been extremely respectful of each other, and they've seen a real progression in their natural mating behaviours.
"It's been a relief and heartening to see Zayana rest and recover so well from what was a big and exhausting time for her."
Female Sumatran tigers reach sexual maturity around three to four years of age and come into season every three to nine weeks.
The gestation could take about three-and-a-half months and an average litter size is two to three cubs.
In the wild, there could be between 200 to 250 matings over the course of the female's season - as big cats required multiple stimulation for ovulation to occur.
Parashchak said the Auckland Zoo tigers reached record daily matings.
"[Zayana] has now totally bounced back to being the very relaxed tiger she is.
"During this oestrus we've seen everything from an increase in the duration of mating between her and Ramah to some record 37 daily matings and a lot more pre-and post-copulation behaviours."
These behaviours were things like presenting and sniffing each other to chasing, gentle biting, and swiping.
Parashchak said checking CCTV overnight enabled the team to observe and assess the behaviour of both tigers, and whether they were still equally interested in mating.
"Sleeping up against each other in their separate areas, face-rubbing and presenting are clear indications that they're still keen to mate.
"This has now tailored off and Zayana's receptivity period has naturally come to an end, so they are now happily back to being in separate habitats."
Sumatran tigers are listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) list of threatened species.
Fewer than 400 of these tigers remain in the wild. Internally within zoos, there are close to another 400 as part of zoos' global breeding and advocacy programme for the species.
Parashchak said Zayana would be monitored closely in the coming weeks.
"If she does fall pregnant, then it's likely she could give birth near the end of the year."
RNZ
