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 nine-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.
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