Chester Zoo tiger cubs make first public appearance

Nov 24 2011 by Barry Ellams, Chester Chronicle

THREE rare tiger cubs born at Chester Zoo have made their first public appearance.

The trio of endangered Sumatran cubs were born at the conservation charity on October 21 and are the offspring of mother Kirana and father Fabi.

The births are a big success for the zoo and good news for the future of the species, as it is thought that only 400 Sumatran tigers are now left in the wild, where they are poached for traditional medicine.

Tim Rowlands, curator of mammals at the zoo, said: “Sumatran tigers can only be found on the Indonesian island of Sumatra and are one of the rarest big cat species in the world.

“It’s estimated that there are just a few hundred left in the wild and only around seven per cent of their original habitat remains, which is why these triplets are so, so important.

“To think they’re now part of a safety-net in case wild populations go extinct is pretty remarkable and quite humbling.

“We are thrilled, Kirana is very happy and we are sure our visitors will be equally delighted.”

Mr Rowlands said the cubs are ‘doing fine’ and complimented mum Kirana on her parenting skills.

He said: “Kirana is so far doing a great job. She has started to take the cubs out and about every now and then having looked after them inside her den for the last three weeks and is being a very attentive mum.”

It will be a few weeks until keepers can discover the sexes of the tiny tiger triplets and a decision can be made on their names.