End of an Era: “Baby” Bakso Departing Disney World

It’s the end of an era, albeit one that feels like it began only yesterday. Bakso the Sumatran tiger cub will soon depart Disney’s Animal Kingdom for a new habitat. Here’s what you need to know about seeing not-so-baby Bakso before he leaves Walt Disney World, background about why this is happening, and our commentary about why you should prioritize Maharajah Jungle Trek to see him if you have an upcoming trip.

As basic background, Bakso was born to his mom Sohni and dad Conrad in September 2024. From the moment the cub was introduced to guests at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in January 2025, he was a smash hit. Bakso was such a fan-favorite, in fact, that Walt Disney World had to open a separate line just for viewing the cub, and it often got quite long during that first month or so.

Over the past two years since, Walt Disney World guests have watched this playful Sumatran tiger grow from a tiny cub into a confident young adult on Maharajah Jungle Trek. Whether he was splashing in a pool, pouncing around the habitat, goofing around with Sohni or showing off his growing stripes, Bakso has become a fan-favorite, capturing hearts along the way. And now, Bakso is getting ready for his next big adventure.

Like all Sumatran tiger cubs, Bakso needed his mother’s care until he is around 18-24 months old.

As he celebrates his second birthday (and reaches that 24 month mark), Bakso will soon be leaving Walt Disney World and moving to another Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA)-accredited zoo later in Fall 2026.

Before Bakso heads off on his next adventure, guests still have time to visit him on Maharajah Jungle Trek at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. (We’ve reached out to Walt Disney World for an expected departure date/week/month and are awaiting response. We’ll update accordingly if/when we receive one.)

According to Disney, this next chapter serves an important purpose. With fewer than 600 Sumatran tigers remaining in the wild, Bakso could one day father his own cubs and help contribute to the future of this critically endangered species.

As young tigers mature, they naturally become more independent and eventually move on to establish territories of their own. In many ways, Bakso’s upcoming move is a natural next step as he enters adulthood.

Bakso’s move is not cost-cutting on Disney’s end or a sign that tigers are on the way out at Animal Kingdom. Rather, it’s part of a recommendation from the AZA’s Species Survival Plan, a program that helps accredited zoos work together to care for endangered animals and support the future of their species in managed care.

As he becomes an adult, Bakso will hopefully become a parent himself. But before that can happen, he presumably needs a new habitat of his own and an environment with new tigers and diverse family trees. (It’ll be interesting to see where Bakso ends up and what his future holds!)

Bakso Background

Bakso’s name was inspired by the Indonesian word for “meatball.” Like all big cats, Sumatran tigers are carnivores, and Walt Disney World’s tigers have their meals are prepared at Disney’s Animal Nutrition Center.

These big cats are considered an “umbrella species.” In technical terms, conservation efforts to preserve these tigers will extend to other species within their habitat providing cover to other key organisms and living things across the ecosystem. Remember learning about this from Dr. Jackie Ogden, who runs the Pandora Conservation Initiative, in Avatar Flight of Passage?!

This is also an impressive achievement for the dozens of Disney animal care experts. The last two-plus years wouldn’t have been possible without the expertise and dedication of Animal Kingdom’s skilled veterinarians, nutritionists, animal keepers, and more.

Thanks to them, Sohni had a successful pregnancy, and Bakso has grown from small tiger cub to a healthy and strong adolescent. From preparing his meals to personalizing his habitat, Disney Cast Members have been there every step of the way.

One of these Cast Members is Michelle, a Behavioral Husbandry Manager, who helps the animal keepers work with Bakso and his mother Sohni, a process that started before he was even born. Back when his mother was pregnant with Bakso, endocrinologists monitored the health of Sohni’s pregnancy up until the birth with advanced technology.

From frequent blood tests to weekly ultrasounds, skilled veterinarians ensured that both Bakso and Sohni were happy and healthy. Sohni’s keepers not only monitored her behavior, but also successfully trained her to voluntarily participate in her own care.

Bringing this full circle, Michelle’s expertise now helps the animal keepers as they teach Bakso to participate in his health checks, while building trust and empowering the cub to likewise take part in his own care. She also helps design elements of his habitat and enrichment activities, tailoring them to stimulate his natural behaviors and challenge his growing mind.

By observing Bakso’s reactions and preferences, Michelle learns more about his unique personality full of curiosity and playfulness. “People don’t realize how different every tiger’s personality truly is,” said Michelle. “The best part of my role is getting a front row seat to all of the small moments that shape Bakso’s personality.”

Tiger Conservation at Animal Kingdom & Beyond

Bakso and Sohni’s success gives hope for the entire Sumatran tiger species. With fewer than 600 Sumatran tigers in the wild, these milestones serve as a powerful reminder that Walt Disney World is making a difference by providing exceptional care and contributing to conservation efforts.

Bakso represents the collaborative efforts between Disney and the Association of Zoos & Aquarium’s Species Survival Plan (SSP), working together to bolster populations of endangered and threatened species in managed care.

Outside of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the Disney Conservation Fund (DCF) is making a difference for wildlife across the globe. As part of the Disney Planet Possible commitment, the DCF has provided more than $4.5M to 15 organizations working with communities to protect tigers and their forest habitats since 1995.

Our Commentary

I’ve gotta admit that I didn’t have “getting choked up reading a Walt Disney World press release about a tiger” on today’s bingo card, but I guess you never know what a Monday morning is going to throw at you!

This is bittersweet ‘end of an era’ news in part because Bakso had a big personality, and was so much fun to watch. I still vividly recall my first time seeing baby Bakso, and I refuse to believe that was nearly two years ago. It was like two months, tops. (It wasn’t, but time sure flies.)

Since January 2025, I’ve made visits to Maharajah Jungle Trek about once every 6 weeks. This frequency and spacing is just enough to notice material changes in Bakso’s development with every visit, and also get attached to the little fella.

I feel like the uncle who sees their nephew just enough to see those differences that blur together for the parents. The ones that they only notice when sitting in bed late at night, watching ‘memories’ slideshows play endlessly for hours.

That’s really what got me choked up about the Bakso news. Less to do with the tiger cub and more about parenthood, generally. As our own daughter approaches her third birthday, we find ourselves wondering where the time has gone, wistful about those difficult nights with a newborn, and longing to turn back the clock.

She has just grown up so fast, and it already seems like she doesn’t need us as much as she becomes more independent. That’s obviously the endgame as a parent, but at the same time, what an emotional gut-punch it is. Not the topic of the post, obviously, but pretty much the definition of bittersweet.

Suffice to say, we’ve enjoyed capturing photos of our own baby over the last couple of years alongside baby Bakso, although I guess air quotes do belong around both instances of “baby” at this point. Life comes at you fast. We really hope we have one last chance for a final photo of the two “babies” together next month before Bakso leaves home.

If you have the chance to see Bakso before he leaves Walt Disney World in Fall 2026, we highly recommend taking the opportunity, even if you’ve developed no attachment to the little fella.

Even as he’s gotten bigger, he still loves to play, and his hijinks are hilarious. I know a lot of babies have come and gone over the years at Animal Kingdom, but I feel like Bakso is the best from a guest-facing perspective, and the one fans will still talk about years from now.

Regardless of Bakso, Maharajah Jungle Trek is one of the most underrated attractions in all of Walt Disney World. It tends to get overlooked because the park has an (over)abundance of animal trails, but this is the best. Even if the cub is gone by your visit, here’s a routine reminder that Maharajah Jungle Trek is worth revisiting, or seeing for the first time if you’ve never done it. The only only trail with must-do status for me is Otter Grotto, although Gorilla Falls (formerly Pangani Forest) is up there.

Finally, I love stories like this. Not just “relatable” ones involving a tiger cub and his parents, but ones about conservation efforts and the ways Walt Disney World makes a positive difference in the world. They’re a nice reminder of the good that Disney does, how there are incredibly talented and passionate Cast Members who try to make a difference, and that Animal Kingdom truly is more than a theme park.

It also makes me think it’s even more of a mistake that Walt Disney World will not include animal enclosures in Tropical Americas; stories like this underscore how much of a missed opportunity that really is. (Can you imagine the inevitable photos of capybara cubs?! I just looked up pics, and they’re every bit as adorable as you’d imagine!)

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Your Thoughts

Have you seen Bakso in Maharajah Jungle Trek at Animal Kingdom? Thoughts on the tiger cub’s move to a new habitat? Likewise view this as bittersweet news? Anything else to add? Disappointed about the lack of live animals in Tropical Americas, or did you expect that? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!