The Magnetic Hill Zoo’s tiger population just jumped by four.
The Moncton zoo announced on Thursday that its Amur tiger Anya gave birth to four cubs last Friday. The first two cubs were discovered on the morning of May 11 and two more bundles of joy were born later that afternoon.
In a news release, the zoo says the mother “naturally took wonderful care of her cubs” under close observation from staff.
“Tiger cubs are quite fragile at birth and the first 48 hours are always critical,” said Jill Marvin, the zoo’s director, in the release.
“We are pleased to welcome the cubs to our family. Tigers are an important part of our conservation efforts to protect the future of this species and to educate visitors about them.”
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The quartet are parents Anya and Alik’s second set of cubs born at the zoo. Their first three cubs were born in 2016.
Over the next few weeks, staff at the zoo will be keeping a close eye on the family’s new additions.
Soon, the cubs will have their first veterinary check-ups and staff will try and determine the sex of the cubs.
According the World Wildlife Fund, the Amur tiger population is about 540. The animals, which are considered endangered, naturally live in the Russian Far East, northern China and possibly North Korea.
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The zoo has proudly posted photos of their new tigers on its Facebook page, where many people are asking when the public can see the cubs.
In response, the zoo says that will depend on their health and estimates it will be seven to eight weeks at least.
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