Two Endangered Tiger Cubs Debut at the Bronx Zoo

BRONX, NY – Two rare Malayan tiger cubs are making their public debut Tuesday at the Tiger Mountain exhibit at the Bronx Zoo. This is the third litter of Malayan tigers born at the zoo.

The female cubs are named Nadia and Azul and were born in January. After they were born, their mother wasn't providing suitable maternal care, so zookeepers stepped in and hand-raised the cubs until they were fully weaned.

“The majority of animals born at the Bronx Zoo are raised by their parents,” said Jim Breheny, WCS executive vice president and director of the Bronx Zoo. “But in certain cases, the mom’s need help raising offspring. Our keepers did a wonderful job raising the Malayan tiger cubs through the critical first few months of their lives. As the cubs mature, they are learning ‘how to be tigers’ and following their instincts and developing the skills and behavior of adult tigers. The transition process form cub to young adult is amazing to witness.”

At first, the two cubs required 24-hour care and were bottle-fed a milk formula every three hours. The cubs were fully weaned by 40 days of age, and then they slowly became comfortable with sights, sounds and smells of adult tigers.

As of now, the cubs will be on exhibit at Tiger Mountain for only a few hours each day. The time will gradually increase as they continue to acclimate to their habitat.

There are an estimated 250 Malayan tigers left in the wild, and fewer than 70 live in North American zoos. This subspecies of tigers is classified as Critically Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Malayan tigers are native to the Malayan peninsula and are endangered by poaching, habitat loss and prey depletion.

The Bronx Zoo breeds Malayan tigers and Amur tigers under the Species Survival Plan, a cooperative breeding program designed to enhance the genetic viability of animal populations in zoos and aquariums.

Photos and video courtesy of Wildlife Conservation Society