THE TINY Sumatran tiger triplets born at West Midlands Safari Park on January 17 have taken their first steps outdoors, writes Lydia Gee.
And, the trio to 13-year-old mum Dourga, are ready to be named.
Following a health check, carried out by the park’s experienced veterinary team and keepers, it has been confirmed there are two girls and a boy.
The team also weighed the cubs, checked them over, took identification pictures and gave them their first vaccinations so they were safe to to venture outside for the first time.
All animals born at the park this year will have the names beginning with ‘N’, which is why the name Nova, meaning ‘new star’ has been chosen for one of the girls.
The two remaining cubs will have their names chosen by the public.
Veterinary surgeon, Lindsey Baines said: “We are delighted that we have three healthy Sumatran tiger subs.
“Their first health checks and vaccinations all went swimmingly, and they are developing as we would expect with no concerns.”
Veterinary nurse, Sarah Smith added: “The cubs have been showing their own characters recently and we really saw their feisty side during their examinations.
“The next steps are a health check at 12 weeks, then they can venture into the wider ‘Tiger Tropics’ habitat.”
Coaxing them outside
As soon as the door opened to the outside cubbing area, their mum came out to do a quick check, ‘chuffing’ at her babies to encourage them to follow her.
A chuff is a low and soft noise which tigers use as a friendly greeting, or in this case, to comfort cubs.
Soon, three little stripy heads all appeared at the doorway, peering out into the gentle breeze and it was the boy who took his first tentative steps outside, keeping his tummy to the ground for safety.
The birth of the cubs was a milestone moment for the park as it is estimated there may be fewer than 4,000 tigers left in the wild, with only 400 of those being Sumatran tigers.
This makes them one of the most endangered of the subspecies, as all tigers in the wild face an uncertain future, due to habitat loss, conflict with humans and poaching for the illegal trade of tiger body parts.
Conservation efforts
The Sumatran tigers at the Safari Park are part of an EEP (EAZA Ex-Situ Programme), a collaboration between European zoos, aiming to conserve endangered species.
The park also partners with conservation organisation, WildCats Conservation Alliance and donates annually to the Kerinci Seblat Tiger Protection Project. This operates tiger protection and conservation units in Indonesia.
West Midlands Safari Park is open daily for its summer season – visit: wmsp.co.uk for more.
Scroll across the top for more pictures of the tiger triplets.
