Walt Disney World welcomes 4-month-old tiger cub at Animal Kingdom’s Maharajah Jungle Trek
ORLANDO, Fla. - Walt Disney World has welcomed a new 4-month-old tiger cub to its Animal Kingdom theme park.
The Sumatran tiger cub, Bakso, made his grand entrance at Animal Kingdom’s Maharajah Jungle Trek on Wednesday.
The cub played, ran and stayed close to his mom, Sohni, during his big debut.
![](https://images.foxtv.com/static.fox35orlando.com/www.fox35orlando.com/content/uploads/2025/01/932/524/2-year-old-in-car-copy.png?ve=1&tl=1)
Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom recently welcomed a new tiger cub. (Credit: Walt Disney World | Photographer Olga Thompson)
Meet Bakso
The backstory:
Disney leaders said veterinarians and scientists were a big part of the pregnancy, even using different kinds of advanced technology to monitor Sohni up until birth.
What they're saying:
"They play together all the time, said Erica Huffstodt, an animal keeper at Disney. "They chase each other all the time. He's learning how to pounce and stalk and, obviously, she's his favorite target. They just have a really close bond."
"She's really special, and she's trained for all kinds of voluntary medical behaviors, including voluntary ultrasounds," said Courtney Cameron, the Disney behavioral husbandry manager. "So, we're able to monitor her abdominal area through voluntary ultrasound, and it's really cool. It's important that we conserve this critically endangered species, so every single birth is really, really important."
"For people to see him, it's actually something that's unique, and hopefully that's going to inspire them to want to take action to do things for those animals in the wild," said Rachel Daneault, Disney's zoological manager.
‘A symbol of hope’
Big picture view:
Bakso is the first tiger cub born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in seven years and serves as a beacon of hope, as there are only about 600 Sumatran tigers left in the world.
Daneault said Disney’s efforts, made in partnership with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the Species Survival Plan, are helping the future of this critically endangered species.
She hopes people visiting Animal Kingdom may consider how they can help, too.
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The Source: This story was written based on information shared by Walt Disney World.