Public To Name Adorable Minnesota Zoo Tiger Cub, 3 Months

APPLE VALLEY, MN — An adorable tiger cub at the Minnesota Zoo is 3 months old, and she doesn’t yet have a name. The zoo is correcting that but is letting the public name the cub, described as “very active and curious.”

The cub, born on April 26, is the first born to Sundari, 5. Her father, 7-year-old Putin, sired two other litters in Denmark before he came to the Minnesota Zoo.

New mom Sundari wasn’t providing the level of care needed at birth, so zookeepers provided backup human care. The mother and cub were reunited in early June, and the staff is monitoring their interactions to ensure the cub gets enough milk and Sundari is not overly aggressive. (For more local news, click here to sign up for newsletters and real-time news alerts from Apple Valley-Rosemount Patch, or click here to find your local Minnesota Patch. Also, if you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Everything is going well, according to a zoo blog, except for the obvious problem — no one knows what to call the cub. Some things to know to arrive at the perfect handle for the charming ball of fur:

A rare Amur tiger, she may look soft and cuddly right now, but she will be big and ferocious when she’s fully grown. Amur tigers, which are also known as Siberian tigers, are the largest of the big cats and are also among the most imperiled in the wild due to overhunting of prey species, habitat loss and poaching for skins and body parts used in traditional Chinese remedies. Only about 400 remain in the wild, according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

The deadline to submit a name for the tiger is Sunday, Aug. 6, according to the zoo’s website. The top three suggestions will be put to a public vote on the zoo website from Aug. 10-16.

Tell Us: What would you name the cub? Leave your suggestion in the comments.

Do you need more inspiration before deciding on the perfect name? Take a look at the video and pictures below. You can also watch mother and cub on the Tiger Cam trained on the indoor enclosure.

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All photos courtesy of Minnesota Zoo