A ZOO is celebrating the birth of its first tiger cub in more than two decades.
The tiny Sumatran tiger cub made its debut appearance at Chester Zoo yesterday.
Proud mum Kirana gave birth to the cub during a five-hour labour on Saturday, in the zoo’s first tiger birth in 23 years.
It will be up to four weeks before keepers know whether it is male or female and a decision can be made on a name.
The cub is a first for Kirana, five, and both mother and her new charge are doing well, a spokeswoman for the zoo said.
Tim Rowlands, the zoo’s curator of mammals, said: “Twenty-three years has been a long wait for tiger cubs but a very worthwhile wait.
“Kirana is a first-time mum and is learning as she goes, but so far she has done a brilliant job.
“She was out and about within 24 hours, taking the very best of care of her new charge.
“We are thrilled, Kirana is very happy and we are sure our visitors will be equally delighted.”
The cub’s father is four-year-old Fabi and this is also his first cub.
Sumatran tigers are the smallest of their species and are native to the Indonesian islands of Sumatra.
The creatures are critically endangered in the wild and are generally pregnant for around 105 days.
