Photo: Sumatran Tiger Photo

The Sumatran Tiger is a beautiful member of the cat family with this particular one residing at the Auckland Zoo on the North Island of New Zealand.

At the Auckland Zoo in New Zealand you can have a good look at this incredible mammal known as the Sumatran Tiger. As he lays his strong body down to rest upon the rocks in the shade of the surrounding trees of his habitat, visitors can snap a few spectacular photos.

The Sumatran Tiger is one of five types of tigers left in the world and it is the smallest of the tiger family. They have lived exclusively for over a million years in the moist tropical jungles of the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. The population of the Sumatran Tiger in the wild is in extreme danger and there are only about 400 to 500 individuals remaining.

The Sumatran Tiger represents a uniquely hopeful opportunity for survival for an individual subspecies of tiger especially as the tiger is isolated to the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. This is extremely important as the Sumatran Tiger is genetically isolated and gives biologists a chance to study the effects of such genetic isolation on this particular subspecies. ... continue below the picture...

This picture is part of the photo album "Animal Pictures" - there are more beautiful images waiting for you.

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The Auckland Zoo in New Zealand is part of the captive breeding program and is home to a female and male Sumatran Tiger with hopes that one day they will have cubs. Zoos around the world participate in this program which is the ideal way to preserve their genetic uniqueness and hopefully they can live on for centuries to come.

Sumatran Tiger, Panthera tigris sumatrae, at the Auckland Zoo, Auckland City, North Island, New Zealand.Make sure to see all our pictures of Auckland City, New Zealand.