Rare Sumatran Tiger To Make Public Debut At Los Angeles Zoo

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A rare Sumatran tiger will make his debut Friday as the newest resident of the Los Angeles Zoo.

Castro Jr., or C.J., is a male, 250-pound tiger born on March 3, 2013. He arrived in Los Angeles by way of the Sacramento Zoo, where he was a favorite among guests, according to Los Angeles Zoo officials.

"C.J. is an incredibly well-natured and energetic tiger," the zoo's Animal Keeper Stephanie Zielinski said in a statement. "He has very distinct gold eyes, and he loves to swim in the different pools in the habitat."

Zoo officials say the Sumatran tiger is one of the most endangered subspecies of tiger in the world, with less than 400 left in the wild. They are found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.