Billy Ray is the new name of the tiger cub born on Mother's Day at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium.
The cub, which now weighs 30 pounds and has been hand-fed by zookeepers since birth because his mother refused to nurse him, was named by zoo donors in honor of a deceased family member who was a big fan of singer Billy Ray Cyrus. The new name was announced today.
"He is very curious and loves to play in his new outdoor yard at the snow leopard exhibit," Kathy Suthard, lead cat keeper, said. "He also is starting to develop some of his natural instincts like hunting. It is funny to see him crouch down and slowly advance on any birds that fly into the exhibit. He doesn't catch them yet, but he will."
The next milestone for the little cub is weaning him from his human playmates.
"He is bigger now and very rough with his play," said Ms. Suthard. "We can't interact with him like we used to, which is hard for all of us. We miss playing with him."
He is eating more than three pounds of meat a day.
Billy Ray was born on May 11; his mother, Toma, has refused to nurse him.
Billy Ray will grow to about 11 feet long and weigh more than 450 pounds. Adult Amur tigers are solitary animals in the wild and their mother usually weans them within one year.
The zoo is working on finding a mate for Billy Ray until he is old enough to be on his own.
Amur tigers, more commonly known as Siberian tigers, are a critically endangered species due to habitat destruction and the illegal fur trade. There are currently only an estimated 400 Amur tigers in the wild and approximately 190 Amur tigers managed in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' accredited zoos.
First Published: September 10, 2008, 3:30 p.m.
