Bakso, the Sumatran tiger who calls Animal Kingdom home, was featured on the cover of TIME for Kids Magazine recently.
Bakso
Bakso was the first Sumatran tiger born at Animal Kingdom in seven years. And since there are fewer than 600 Sumatran tigers left in the wild, this is a huge accomplishment for Disney’s repopulation efforts.
Bakso debuted on the Maharajah Jungle Trek for guests to see in January 2025, and he recently celebrated his first birthday. Disney went all out with a birthday party, and now he’s been featured on the cover of TIME for Kids Magazine.
The cover feature also includes Bakso’s care team, including animal keeper Erin Heavey. She told TIME for Kids she starts each day by checking in on the tigers “to make sure they did well overnight.”
After that, the team feeds the tigers breakfast and trains them with positive reinforcement. Bakso loves to play, which, for a one-year-old tiger, includes climbing, exploring, and testing out new toys.
Bakso is still young, so he’s learning some new behaviors.
Veterinarian Natalie Mylniczenko and her team have been giving Bakso check-ups since his mom was pregnant with him, and they continue to care for him. “We listen to his lungs, look at his eyes and ears,” she says. The behaviors Heavey is working on with Bakso will help him cooperate as doctors check his paws and teeth.
Read the full Time for Kids article.
Have you seen Bakso yet at Animal Kingdom? Let us know in the comments and on social media.
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