With just 350 thought to remain in the wild, the Sumatran tiger is one of the world’s rarest tiger subspecies.
But fresh hopes were raised for the critically endangered species, following the birth of not just one, but two tigers at Chester Zoo.
The adorable cubs were born on January 7, and have been bonding with their parents, Kasarna and Dash, ever since.
This week, the cubs emerged from their den for the first time, and photographers were at hand to capture the precious moment.
‘The cubs are still a little shy and pop in and out of the den with mum Kasarna, but it’s going to be a real privilege to watch as they grow in confidence and their feisty personalities really start to show through,’ said Dayna Thain, Carnivore Keeper at Chester Zoo.
With just 350 thought to remain in the wild, the Sumatran tiger is one of the world’s rarest tiger subspecies. But fresh hopes were raised for the critically endangered species, following the birth of not just one, but two tigers at Chester Zoo
This week, the cubs emerged from their den for the first time, and photographers were at hand to capture the precious moment
Sumatran, or Sunda tigers, are the smallest surviving tiger subspecies, and are distinguished by heavy black stripes on their orange coats.
In the wild, fewer than 400 tigers are estimated to remain on the island of Sumatra, with deforestation and poaching largely to blame.
The twin cubs were born in January, but remained in their den for the first three months, where their parents kept a close eye on them – as well as the zookeepers, via CCTV.
‘We’ve been closely monitoring Kasarna on our CCTV cameras as she get to grips with motherhood and her first litter of cubs. It’s a real privilege and incredibly special to watch,’ Dave Hall, Carnivore Team Manager at Chester Zoo, said following their birth in January.
However, the adorable cubs have now ventured out for some ‘rough and tumble’, allowing zookeepers to identify them as females.
Zookeepers have named one cub Alif – a popular name in Indonesia – and the other Raya, after Mount Raya in Sumatra.
The twin cubs were born in January, but remained in their den for the first three months, where their parents kept a close eye on them – as well as the zookeepers, via CCTV
Zookeepers have named one cub Alif – a popular name in Indonesia – and the other Raya, after Mount Raya in Sumatra
‘These majestic animals are hanging on to survival by a thread in Sumatra,’ Ms Thain said.
‘They’re one of the world’s rarest tiger subspecies and so to see these two cubs thriving here is absolutely wonderful.
‘Crucially, with so few Sumatran tigers left on the planet, Kasarna’s girls are vitally important additions to the conservation breeding programme which is working tirelessly to prevent the species from becoming extinct.’
The tiger cubs aren’t the only new arrivals at Chester Zoo in recent months – at the end of last year the world’s rarest chimpanzee was born.
The western chimpanzee baby was born on December 9 after an eight-month pregnancy.
Andrew Lenihan, team manager at the attraction, said: ‘We’re incredibly proud to see a precious new baby in the chimpanzee troop.
‘Mum ZeeZee and her new arrival instantly bonded and she’s doing a great job of cradling him closely and caring for him.’
