Photos of the day: Sumatran tigers celebrate Valentine's Day
Jeremy Hancemongabay.com
February 14, 2012
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The Sumatran tiger, Raika, at the London Zoo playing with scented pillow. Photo courtesy of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).
The Sumatran tigers at the London Zoo received an early Valentine treat of pillows scented with Calvin Klein's Obsession.
"Tigers are territorial creatures and these strong smells encourage their natural scent-marking behaviors by making them rub themselves against the perfumed hearts," Zookeeper Teague Stubbington said in a press release. "We’ve tried lots of different scents and spices, and CK Obsession has proved by far to be their favorite—and as we saw today it certainly helps encourage some romance between them!"
Sumatran tigers (Panthera tigris sumatrae) is Indonesia's last tiger, since the nation has already lost two distinct subspecies of tiger: the Bali and the Javan. Listed as Critically Endangered, the subspecies is imperiled by widespread destruction of its habitat for pulp and paper and palm oil. It also faces poaching, snaring, and human-wildlife conflict. Around 400 Sumatran tigers are estimated to survive in the wild today. Indonesia has one of the highest rates of deforestation worldwide, and according to a satellite study last year, Sumatra has lost around 9 percent of its forest cover in the past 8 years.
For more information on Sumatran tigers: First ever survey shows Sumatran tiger hanging on as forests continue to vanish
The Sumatran tiger, Lumpur, with scented pillow. Photo courtesy of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).
The Sumatran tiger, Lumpur, with scented pillow. Photo courtesy of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).
Raika and Lumpur share signs of tiger-affection. Photo courtesy of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).
