Tiger Cubs Make Long-Awaited Public Debut At Cleveland Zoo

CLEVELAND — A trio of tiger cubs made their long-awaited public debut at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo on Wednesday morning.

This is the first time in more than 20 years that tiger cubs have roamed enclosures at the zoo. The trio are now visible at the Rosebrough Tige Passage. Guests can see the cubs between 10 a.m. and noon daily.

All three tiger cubs were born in December. There are two Amur tiger cubs, Luka and Anya, who were both born in Cleveland, and one Malayan tiger cub, Indrah, who came to Cleveland from the Tulsa Zoo. They're being raised in a unique social group that includes two endangered species.

The Malayan and Amur tigers differ as subspecies, but raising the trio together allows for "essential behavioral and social welfare" after the cubs' mothers did not display maternal instincts, the zoo said in a statement.

"Over the past few months, the trio has grown to approximately 30 pounds each and reached several new developmental milestones including transitioning to a meat diet, and gaining strength and agility," the zoo added.

Amug tigers are an endangered species. Malayan tigers have been called critically-endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. There are only a few hundred Amur and Malayan tigers remaining in their native wilderness, according to estimates.