The two-month-old Sumatran tiger cubs at Disney’s Animal Kingdom have been named Jeda and Anala.
The cubs were named after Disney trainers watched their personalities evolve. Jeda, the male, is laid back and his name means “pause” in Malay. He has two parallel lines inside a stripe on his head that resemble a pause button.
Anala has an independent spirit and is quick to explore new things. Her name means “fiery, sizzling” in Hindi.
The twins continue to bond with their mother, Sohni, in a backstage area in Animal Kingdom. They wrestle with each other constantly and pounce on plants and logs.
“Jeda, in particular, loves ripping the bark off the logs and playing with all the pieces that come off.,” said Erin Heavey, a Disney animal care specialist. “Anala is becoming more adept at sneaking and pouncing and loves hiding behind things (even when she isn’t entirely hidden) and trying to surprise attack Sohni or her brother. This is actually something she gets from Sohni, who loves to hide and sneak even though she isn’t always very covert about it.”
Disney continues to post updates on the cubs on their blog and at DisneyAnimals.com. Eventually, they will be introduced to Disney guests in their habitat on Maharajah Jungle Trek.
The cubs were born in August. Sohni and the cubs’ father, Malosi, were brought to the theme park in 2014 to expand its breeding program.
Disney is supporting the efforts of the Wildlife Conservation Society to reverse the decline of Sumatran tigers by increasing the wild population by 25 percent in the next decade. There are only 500 endangered Sumatran tigers, according to the Conservation Society.
The Disney Conservation Fund, has committed $1 million to protect and restore habitats of at-risk wildlife through Connect to Protect, a digital mobile adventure at Animal Kingdom.