Chester Zoo tiger cubs are all girls

Dec 29 2011 by Barry Ellams, Chester Chronicle

THREE nine-week-old tiger cubs have been identified as females during their first health check ups at Chester Zoo.

The rare cubs were checked by vets and keepers who determined their sexes, wormed them, fitted them with microchips and gave them their vaccinations for cat flu.

Curator of mammals Tim Rowlands said: “They basically receive the same vaccines that a pet cat is given when it’s taken to the vets.

“The only difference is we’re much more cautious about handling the cubs than we would be with domestic kittens”

Each of the cubs – which are only found on the Indonesian island of Sumatra in the wild – was also weighed and given a general check-up.

Vetinary officer Livia Benato said: “The cubs received a physical examination to check they are healthy and in good body condition. Happily, all three cubs – all girls – have been given a completely clean bill of health.”

On news that the trio were all shown to be female, keeper Alan Woodward added: “It’s fantastic that we have three little angels as opposed to three wise men this Christmas.”

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

Their arrivals are a big success for the zoo and good news for the future of the species, with only 400 Sumatran tigers thought to be left in the wild, where they are poached for traditional medicine.

They will now become part of European-wide breeding programme, providing an important safety-net in the event that wild populations become extinct.