Sumatran Tiger named "Bali" by public vote

Sumatran Tiger named “Bali” by public vote

Updated Oct 22, 2009 – 5:28 pm
By JAMIE GRISWOLD
MyNorthwest.com

The Point Defiance Zoo is celebrating all things tiger this Saturday as new Sumatran Tiger Bali makes his zoo debut.

Bali moved up from San Francisco, and Andy Goldfarb, Senior Staff Biologist at the Point Defiance Zoo says they’re hoping to get some cubs from their new arrival. “We have his brother ironically enough, his name is Java. And we were originally trying to breed our female tiger Jaya to Java, and it didn’t go so well. Java was pretty aggressive and doesn’t have any experience, and doesn’t really even seem to care. Bali on the other hand went to San Francisco and he produced two litters there.”

Bali had been renamed George during his stay in San Francisco, and when he arrived in Tacoma, the zoo crew didn’t know what to call him.

“We were at a loss. We were calling him Bali-George, George-Bali,” says Goldfarb.

With all the confusion the zoo decided to put it up for a public vote, asking Tacoma residents, or anyone interested, to vote whether the tiger should be called George or Bali.

The zoo announced Thursday that the name Bali won out in the votes. Goldfarb says it wasn’t a close race. “It was pretty much a landslide that about 75% of the vote was for Bali.”

Bali will meet the Point Defiance Zoo audience for the first time this Saturday at 9:30 a.m.

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