Sumatran tiger brothers Jaya and Topan were spotted cooling off from the blazing sun at Chester Zoo today (Thursday, May 12).
The 16-month brothers enjoyed a dip in the pool on what has been one of the hottest days of the year so far.
Since the new Islands habitat opened at the zoo last October, the tigers have been able to enjoy the benefits of their very own pool, as well as a stream and poles reaching heights of 20ft tall for them to climb and feed.
Facts about Sumatran tigers
They have webbing between their toes, making them superb swimmers
Sumatran tigers are so different from other tiger subspecies that they are often considered a different species
- Sumatran tigers are found in patches of forest on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia
- Sumatran tigers are the smallest of all tiger species
- Sumatran tigers have stripes that are narrower and closer together than those of all other tiger species
- The species is classed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as critically endangered in the wild. They are faced with a high threat of extinction due to poaching for their body parts which are used in traditional medicine and widespread habitat loss as forests are being destroyed for agriculture and palm oil plantations. Not only does this make it easier for poachers to capture them, it also means they’re losing their food too
