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Tiger Cub To "Explore" New Home At Zoo Miami

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - It's going to be a big day for a rare Sumatran tiger cub who was born at Zoo Miami a couple of months ago.

On Wednesday the cub the cub will be brought out onto the Sumatran tiger exhibit to receive its afternoon feeding and allowed to do some "exploring."

The cub was born November 14th, 2015. It was the first cub born to four-year old "Leeloo" and the first Sumatran tiger born at Zoo Miami. The cub was only one of four Sumatran tigers in the United States in 2015. There are only 70 Sumatran tigers living in U.S. zoos.

In December, the zoo's staff noticed and abrupt weight loss in the cub and immediately started several weeks of supplemental feedings. Since then it has started to receive regular exposure to the Sumatran tiger exhibit to experience the sights and smells of what will eventually be his home.

There are believed to be less than 500 Sumatran tigers left in the wild where they are found in forested areas on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. Their biggest threats are habitat loss to palm oil plantations and poaching. They are the smallest subspecies of tiger with males reaching up to 300 pounds and females closer to 200 pounds.

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