Hi everyone,
While i realise that not everyone may agree with tigers held in captivity I just thought I had to share the news of the Amur Tiger cubs that have been born in a Safari Park here in the UK! These are one of the most endangered species of tigers so having cubs of them are fantastic news. 🙂
Below a video from the Zoo telling us more about the the Tiger mother and her little cubs.
Below the official article on these amazing news. And at the bottom you’ll find another cute video of the tiger cubs close up! 😀
A pair of wonderful new arrivals has been welcomed at Woburn Safari Park in Bedfordshire with the birth of two critically endangered Amur tiger cubs, born to four-year-old tigress, Minerva.
These tigers are amongst the largest and rarest cats in the world, and the new cubs signify an important achievement not just for the Park, but for the international breeding programme of this threatened species.
The as-yet unsexed cubs are the first to be born at Woburn Safari Park in 23 years; arriving overnight in the bespoke Tiger House and weighing in at a healthy 800-1200 grams. First time mother Minerva is understandably protective of her new babies and the Park is delighted that she has taken to motherhood brilliantly, remaining settled and calm.
The proud new mother and her two cubs are all together in a special private den, away from the public, with as little disturbance and noise as possible. The cubs will start to explore the 9 acre tiger reserve in early 2016, until then they will continue to be under the constant watchful eye of their mother.
Genetically, Minerva is ranked as the 7th most important female in the captive tiger population across Europe and together with the cubs’ father Elton, they are a very important genetic match, coordinated by the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP).
There are 326 Amur tigers (also referred to as the Siberian tiger) in captivity across Europe and Russia, and only approximately 520 in the wild – a slight increase in wild numbers in the last 10 years.
Jo Cook, Co-ordinator at Amur Leopard and Tiger Alliance and also species co-ordinator for the European breeding programme (Europe & Russia) commented:
“This is the first litter for Minerva and Elton and so far she’s doing a great job as a new mother, although there is still a lot for her to learn. These cubs will make an important contribution to the European breeding programme for Amur tigers, as Minerva in particular is genetically very important and doesn’t have many relatives in the population.
“Maintaining a healthy captive population of Amur tigers in zoos and parks is important because they act as an insurance population and can be used for reintroductions should that become a necessary conservation action to support wild Amur tigers. The tigers in captivity also help raise awareness and inspire visitors to do what they can to support these projects that are protecting these amazing animals in the Russian Far East and northeast China. Not only is Woburn Safari Park playing a role in the Amur tiger breeding programme, but it is also raising funds for the Amur Leopard and Tiger Alliance which supports conservation activities such as anti-poaching and population monitoring in Russia and China.”
Woburn Safari Park is home to five Amur tigers; two females – Minerva and Neurka, one male – Elton, and the two new cubs. Their home in ‘Kingdom of the Carnivores’ is a specially designed nine acre enclosure complete with sleeping platforms and bathing pools as they are the only big cats that like water.
For more information on other new arrivals at Woburn Safari Park in 2015, visit Woburn Safari Park
As promised here the video of the little cubs:
We hope you enjoyed reading about the cubs and if we get any additional photos or videos from the park we will make sure to share these with you. Maybe we will even get a chance to visit them in 2016!
Never want to miss a post? Click here for our Newsletter.
Thanks,
Marc
Great video of the cubs. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you liked it. And yes the videos they sent us were amazing. 🙂
So gorgeous! I took a screen shot of all the pictures when I saw this article on FB. They are so beautiful, and every cub that’s born is precious because it staves of extinction. Great post! xxxooo
Thank you ^^ and yes so glad people are doing something to safe them. 🙂
Fantastic video and pictures of Minerva and her cubs. This is as close as I’ll ever get to Siberian Tigers so I do thank you for glimpse into their world. I loved the video where Minerva is licking her cub and dragging it off her arm in the process. hehehe
That was the cutest part of it all haha
wow, they’re amazing & so cute!! great shots & videos btw
Thank you ^^
Beautiful and precious.
Thanks 🙂
They are absolutely the cutest babies ever. We pray they will remain healthy and grow into gorgeous adults that can help the breeding population. Thank you for sharing this with us. XOCK, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo
Glad you liked it 🙂 and thank you. 😀
Absolutely adorable!
I really really want to go and see them now!
hello katzenworld its dennis the vizsla dog hay that is sum gud cat cuddling!!! not to menshun big cat cuddling too!!! ok bye
Haha yeah! As cute as it is I wouldn’t want to get in their way 😉
The cubs are so cute!!!
Thank you ^^
Gorgeous! And the cubs are pretty adorable, too.
Thank you 🙂
Reblogged this on MoéGrrL.
Hi cutie cub…. Welcome to the world! Be happy, be strong…. ???
Thank you <3
They are so lovely 🙂 Blessing them all. Thank you, love, nia
Thank you ^^
I am so happy that they survived and that the mother has bonded to them.
Such a big tongue tho lol 😉
Thank you 😀 and yes the tongue is something LOL
Pure love <3
Ciao
Sid
CUTENESS OVERLOAD! <3
Thanks ^^
It’s a million times better a tiger kept in captivity if well kept than a tiger killed by poachers or kept in tigers farms starved and mistreated in order to be killed and turned into quack medicine products.
Oh yes 🙁
Beautiful and adorable. Love how the mother’s tongue basically slides the cub along as she licks it! haha Precious. About fifteen years ago there was a program on PBS, I think, called The Awesome Pawsome. It was about tigers at a tiger park/zoo in New Zealand, I believe. They were fascinating to see too. You were even able to watch the cubs being born. Hmmm, might need to google and see what became of them. Sorry to digress. Your videos and article made me think of them. Thank you for this! Love tigers!
Thank you 🙂 and if you do find out about those please do share! ^^
I will!
Here is a link to part one of the Awesome Pawsome. This documentary came out in 2000 but the cubs were born in 1998. I can only find links, thus far, to parts one and two. They are at Tiger Island which is part of Dreamworld in Sydney, Australia. There is now a second documentary called Awesome Pawsome : The Next Generation. Also about tigers at Tiger Island, but a different type of tiger from the original Awesome Pawsome.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2njs43
And this should be the link to part 2. I suppose it could be possible to contact Tiger Island direction to ask for the full documentary from 2000. I don’t know.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2njs3k
Here is a link to the actual Tiger Island park in Australia:
https://www.dreamworld.com.au/things-to-do/tiger-island
That’s so amazing. 🙂 I wish I could visit this one. ^^
I know what you mean. I fell in love with those tigers and wished very much I could go to that park. While the “next generation” is of a different breed of tigers, the cubs from the first Awesome Pawesome are still there, but obviously full adults now. Glad you liked it!
I did 🙂 I went to a tiger sanctuary in Thailand a couple of years back. I actually got close up with the Cubs there. It was the one that looks after hem well rather than the awful one that drugs their tigers. (Did research first and had a friend in Thailand who confirmed it was correct) I’ll see if I can find the photos… I was rather scared though LoL
Oh how adorable and cute cubs. Congrats to proud mom Minerva and Woburn Safari Park and thanks Katzenworld for sharing.
Thank you 🙂