Rare tiger cub triplets in rude health say zookeepers
The Sumatran tiger cubs had their first ever health check, captured on video, where keepers were able to determine their sexes.
Following the examination, the triplets were revealed to be two males and a female.
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Hide AdThey were born to five-year-old Sumatran tigress Melati in February after a 106-day pregnancy. The new arrivals came six months after the death of the zoo’s first Sumatran tiger cub, also by Melati, in 17 years.
The cubs were also vaccinated and micro-chipped by a team of two keepers, a vet and a veterinary nurse from the zoo.
Nic Masters, head vet at London Zoo, was happy to report that the tigers were all in “rude health”.
“It’s quite difficult to physically examine them. They’re already pretty feisty and very strong, and there’s a bit of struggling and growling going on. Actually holding them to look at things in detail and listening to their hearts is a bit tricky.
“Everything looked to be in good working order. They’re in excellent body condition.”
A critically endangered species, there are estimated to be only 300 individual wild Sumatran tigers in the world.