Sumatran Savior

Malosi, a male Sumatran tiger, arrived at the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, Washington State, USA, in March of 2012. Malosi was a 3-year old juvenile at the time who previously had been at the Honolulu Zoo in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. Malosi is part of the North American Sumatran Tiger Survival Plan, a coordinated effort by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to aid the Wildlife Conservation Society's work to ensure the survival of the these beautiful animals and all other species of tigers. You can learn more about these efforts at http://mnzoo.org/tigerssp/sumatranConservation.html . According to the AZA website, there are only an estimated 300 of these animals left in the wild, and another 200 in captivity. In this shot, the now 5 year old Malosi lounges expectantly on his perch, anxiously awaiting the arrival of watermelons thrown to him by his keepers on this "Go Green" day celebration for St. Patrick's Day 2014.