Endangered tiger cub triplets born at safari park

A new set of critically endangered tiger cub triplets have been born at a wildlife park.

The three Sumatran tiger cubs arrived at West Midlands Safari Park (WMSP) in Bewdley, Worcestershire, on 17 January.

They will spend their first few weeks alone with their mother, 13-year-old Dourga, before keepers enter the den to carry out health checks.

It is likely to be this summer at the earliest before visitors will be able to see the cubs.

Dourga gave birth in an indoor den where the cubs, who are born blind, have since been learning to suckle and taken their first tentative steps.

Head keeper of carnivores Kasha Carter said staff would not disturb the family until the cubs were about eight weeks old.

"We've got to let mum do what she wants to do," she explained.

"We just take a back seat and let her do what she wants to do because naturally that's what would happen in the wild. The mums spend about 70% of their time in the den nursing.

"Then we'll go in at eight weeks to do vaccinations like your cats and dogs at home.

"So we'll do microchip, vaccinations, health checks and we should be able to know the gender by that point as well."

The cubs will be named once their sexes are known - like all animals born at the park this year, their names will begin with the letter N.

Their father, 10-year-old Nakal, and their big sister, 18-month-old Lestari, can already be seen at the site.

The park said there were estimated to be fewer than 4,000 tigers left in the wild due to habitat loss and illegal poaching.

Only about 400 of them are Sumatran tigers.

The ones at WMSP are part of a conversation programme run by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria.

"The fact that we are part of this European breeding programme is fantastic and we get to contribute three new little members to it," said Ms Carter.

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