After 11,000 votes were cast, the results are in! The two tiger cubs residing at Tull Family Tiger Trail at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park now have names. Six possible names with origins in the tigers’ ancestral homes were selected by tiger keepers for each cub, and the public voted for their favorites in a contest on the San Diego Zoo Safari Park’s Facebook page. The contest started Nov. 22 and ran through Nov 29.
The winning names are Moka, for the Bengal cub, which means “chance”; and Rakan, for the Sumatran cub, meaning “friend.”
Critically endangered Sumatran tigers and endangered Bengal tigers face many challenges in the wild, from loss of habitat to conflicts with humans, but the biggest threat continues to be poaching. Tigers are killed by poachers who illegally sell tiger body parts, mostly for folk remedies. People can help protect wild tigers by avoiding products made with non-sustainable palm oil, an industry that harms tiger habitat; and by refusing to purchase items made from endangered wildlife.
