TORONTO, ON, Thursday, July 29, 2021: In celebration of International Tiger Day your Toronto Zoo is excited to announce that our endangered female Amur tiger cub, affectionately known as #TOTigerCub, has a name! With over 15,000 people voting in the “Help Us Give #TOTigerCub A Name" promotion, one name has emerged as your favourite. Introducing, Mila! Mila, pronounced “Mee-la”, meaning loved by the people, gracious, dear one, was chosen through online voting from a list of four preselected names. The naming promotion was launched on Monday, July 19, 2021 and ran through Sunday, July 25, 2021 at 11:59 pm.

As part of a successful conservation breeding program, on Friday, April 30, 2021 your Toronto Zoo welcomed a female endangered Amur tiger cub, affectionately known on social media as #TOTigerCub. Your Toronto Zoo was proud to partner with two organizations in support our mission to connect people, animals and conservation science to fight extinction. Giant Tiger was the presenting sponsor of the “Help Us Give #TOTigerCub A Name!” promotion and the Toronto Star was the supporting media sponsor.

Alison Scarlett, AVP Communications and Public Relations for Giant Tiger (Sponsor) and
Ryan Hegarty, Toronto Zoo Amur Tiger Keeper

Mazyria, affectionately known to Zoo staff and volunteers as “Mazy”, gave birth to three cubs after a 104-day pregnancy. The Zoo was heartbroken to have lost two of the three cubs in May as a result of different medical conditions. This Amur tiger cub continues to thrive, nursing regularly from Mazy. While the first few months are critical to the cub’s survival, we are cautiously optimistic based on her progression that she will continue to grow healthy and strong.

At nearly 14 years old, Mazy is one of the oldest Amur tigers to give birth in the Species Survival Plan (SSP) population. The pairing of Mazyria, born at Granby Zoo in 2007, and male tiger Vasili, born at Calgary Zoo in 2012, was part of an Amur Tiger SSP recommendation. The Amur Tiger SSP ensures the ongoing genetic health of the Amur tiger population in human care, safeguarding genetic diversity that may have been lost in the wild during the 20th century. The SSP Program oversees population management within Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited member institutions and coordinates the Tiger Conservation Campaign, linking zoo tigers with their wild counterparts. To make a donation in support of the endangered Amur tiger and the critical wildlife conservation work being done at your Toronto Zoo to save wildlife and wild spaces, please CLICK HERE.

Tune in at www.torontozoo.com/tz/totigercub. Want camera control and enhanced zoom features? Join Zoolife, where 80% of proceeds support animal care and conservation efforts at your Toronto Zoo zoolife.tv/torontozoo.

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Media Contact Information:

Katie Gray
Manager of Strategic Communications
[email protected]

For general information visit torontozoo.com

The Toronto Zoo’s mission is to connect people, animals and conservation science to fight extinction and our vision is a world where wildlife and wild spaces thrive.

An iconic tourist attraction and Conservation organization, the Toronto Zoo boasts a number of leading programs for helping wildlife and their natural habitats – from species reintroduction to reproductive research. A world-class educational centre for people of all ages, the Toronto Zoo is open every day including December 25 and attracts approximately 1.2 million guests each year.

Toronto Zoo is accredited by Canada's Accredited Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA) and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The Zoo has also achieved the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) Certificate of Good Animal Practice® and is inspected by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA).

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