Sumatran tigers were last born at the Memphis zoo in 1998
In a milestone birth, the Memphis Zoo in the US welcomed the birth of two endangered Sumatran tiger cubs earlier this month. The zoo said Dari, a 7-year-old Sumatran tiger, gave birth to the cubs on May 5 with the father, a 4-year-old tiger named Gusti.
''We are thrilled to announce the birth of these two Sumatran tiger cubs – a critically endangered species. The symbol of the tiger is synonymous with pride and community here in Memphis, and I have no doubt the city will join us in the celebration of these significant births,'' Courtney Janney, Chief Zoological Officer said.
The Memphis Zoo also shared a video of the birth on its Twitter account. ''Watch the miraculous moment when two critically endangered Sumatran tigers are born at Memphis Zoo. She is demonstrating herself to be a wonderful and attentive mother to her new cubs,'' the video was captioned.
Watch it here:
Pictures of the newborn tigers were also shared on the zoo's Facebook account:
Sumatran tigers were last born at the Memphis zoo in 1998 and the mother of those cubs is Dari's grandmother.
Zookeepers will closely watch over the cubs before they receive vaccinations at six weeks old and are shown their outdoor habitat and three months old.
Notably, Sumatran tigers are one of the most critically endangered subspecies of tigers. The World Wildlife Fund estimates there are fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers left in the wild, living exclusively on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Habitat loss, poaching, and conflict with humans could see the carnivores become extinct.
''At one time, there were nine subspecies of tigers on the planet, and that number is now down to six due to habitat loss and poaching. The Sumatran tiger is in dire need of assistance. Memphis Zoo is honored to play a part in increasing the Sumatran tiger population in zoos at such a pivotal point in their conservation story,'' the zoo said in a statement.
Earlier in February, a zoo in the UK also welcomed the arrival of twin Sumatran tiger cubs dubbing the birth a "significant step forward".