Majel The Tiger Cub
1 min readThe San Diego Zoo has named one of a pair of twin Sumatran tiger cubs after Majel Barrett-Roddenberry.
The cub, born in October, was named in honor of Roddenberry, said Rod Roddenberry, son of Majel. “For those who do not know, my mother was a staunch animal supporter,” he said. “Her favorites were cats, large or small … her passion for them knew no bounds.”
“It is our understanding that ‘Majel’ will be on display at the San Diego Zoo for the next few months,” explained Roddenberry in a newsletter on his website. “Her future home is uncertain as these cats are endangered and are sent to other animal sanctuaries throughout the world in an effort to promote and revive the species. In a recent report, ‘Majel’ was described as being ‘Ms. Independent”‘ and ‘Vocal.’ “She frequently is the first to go off and explore her area and loves to play tug-o-war with the keepers.”
Tiger cubs Majel and Joanne were born to parents who were genetically matched. This matching is a necessity due to the diminished gene pool of the endangered animals. “The best pair isn’t always a compatible pair, so you have to look at their behavior and look at what the genetics are and match those two,” said Randy Rieches, curator of mammals at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
Several photos of the tigers can be seen by heading to the link located here.
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