A pair of rare Amur tiger cubs are making their public debut at Minnesota Zoo, raising hopes for preserving an endangered species that is native to far eastern Russia and northern China.
Andrei and Amaliya got to venture outside and feel the grass of their new home under their paws on Wednesday for the first time since their 12-year-old mother, Dari, gave birth on May 23.
“They’ve done quite well since then,” zoologist Trista Fischer said.
Photo: AP
“We’ve monitored them very closely. Dari’s been fantastic. She’s provided outstanding maternal care, and so today we’ve reached the point where they’re fully vaccinated and they’re now about 40 to 45 pounds [18 to 20kg],” she added.
Scientists estimate the Amur tiger population is just about 400 to 500 in the wild.
They were near the brink of extinction in the 1930s and 1940s, but have recovered somewhat since then.
It is tricky to breed them, and about one in four Amur cubs do not make it to adulthood, whether it is in the wild or in captivity, she said. Poachers are another major threat.
However, Minnesota Zoo, in the Minneapolis suburb of Apple Valley, has a long history of conserving tigers. Its Amur tigers have produced 57 cubs, 46 of which survived for at least 30 days.
Of those 46, 21 have gone on to produce litters of their own, amounting to another 86 cubs.
The births of Andrei and Amaliya raised the zoo’s population to seven Amur tigers, including their sire, Luka.
Fischer is the leading coordinator for the Tiger Species Survival Plan, a breeding program in the US with facilities in other countries that works on a global level to preserve the big cats.
The plan manages three groups of tigers: Sumatran, Malayan and Amur.
“This litter is so valuable to the population right now,” she said, adding that the genetic diversity of healthy tigers in human care could someday be used to help support populations in the wild.
Zoo spokesperson Zach Nugent said the cubs would remain housed together with their mom for about 18 months, before Andrei, the male, is moved to separate housing, about the same time a male cub in the wild would start venturing out on his own.
Amaliya, the female, might spend a little more time with Dari, up to 24 months.
Then Fischer would determine whether either cub should be bred, and potentially moved for that to another accredited zoo, which typically happens after the cubs are two years old.
“Aww, I love when they get their little Yoda ears,” Fischer said referring to the pointy ears of the Star Wars character as she watched Amaliya and Andrei explore the new terrain of their enclosure.
She said it was an emotional, exciting and proud moment for her and her team.
“Our work’s not over, but all that work so far is really paying off in how well these cubs are acclimating to a new surrounding, pretty much immediately,” she said as the little tigers roamed outside with their mother.
“They’re showing a lot of resiliency, which is something that we work hard for in human care. We want these animals to have a lot of confidence and be able to adapt to new environments just as they’re doing today,” she said.
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