'Happy and healthy' tiger cubs begin exploring

Four rare tiger cubs have been introduced to the outdoors for the first time.

The Amur cubs, who were born at Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire in May, were allowed into a paddock with their nine-year-old mother, Yana, this week.

It is expected the cubs will go into the main paddock in late summer, after a gradual introduction to the outside world.

"Days like this are what keepers dream about," said their lead keeper Eloise Kilbane, from Longleat.

Yana led the cubs out and began rolling around, scratching and marking her scent in the paddock, keepers said.

Ms Kilbane added that it showed the "success" of the park's breeding programme, as the tigers were happy and healthy" in their environment.

Darren Beasley, head of animal operations at Longleat, said: "We want to make sure the cubs are confident and crucially Yana is happy with where they can go.

“We will be letting them out for a short period each day in the paddock close to their house so they get used to the smells and different textures before moving them to an area which can be seen from the safari park."

He added visitors will be updated on the timeline on its website, so they know when to look out for the cubs.

The cubs are Yana's second litter, following on from the birth of Rusty and Yuki in 2019.

Amur tigers, also known as Siberian tigers, are native to the far east of Russia.

They are among the most endangered species in the world and it is thought that there are only about 450 left in the wild.

The species was on the brink of extinction in the 1940s, due to hunting and logging.

At one stage, it is believed the population fell to only 20 to 30 animals.

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