Congrats! It’s a boy! And two girls!
Nashville zoo officials were able to confirm the sex of the three adorable Sumatran tiger cubs born Friday, Oct 20 – one male and two females.
According to zoo officials, one cub barely has its eyes open, while the other two don’t just yet. Public relations director Jim Bartoo said they are holding off on naming them until they learn more about their personalities.
This is the first time Sumatran tigers were born at the zoo. The pregnancy was also the first for mother Anne, who arrived at the Nashville Zoo from the San Diego Zoo in December. The father, Felix, is currently on exhibit at the zoo but is being kept away from Anne so she may have a quiet and non-threatening environment.
“They have separate halves of the building,” said Mammal Curator Cinammon Williams. “She can’t even see him because her job is to protect her cubs. We’re trying to keep the building as calm and quiet as possible.”
Sumatran tigers are critically endangered, with only an estimated 400-600 left of them in the world. Currently there are around 235 Sumatran tigers under human care globally, with just under 70 cared for in AZA-accredited zoos in North America.
Williams, along with other veterinary staff members have been monitoring Anne’s labor, delivery and care through a camera mounted in the tiger’s den.
In a press release, Williams said Anne is behaving perfectly, being very attentive and all three cubs appear to be nursing.
Anne and the cubs are being kept away from view in a private den so they may bond as much as possible. Currently, veterinary staff are staying away from the building where they’re being kept as to not disturb their bonding process.
Over the next several days, the veterinary and animal care teams will continue to monitor Anne’s maternal activities while slowly attempting to reintroduce the keeper’s daily routines back into Anne’s life.
Keepers hope to eventually be able to coax the new mother away from her cubs so the veterinary staff may perform an exam on the cubs to determine their weight and overall health.
“If everything goes well, Anne will raise the cubs for the next few months until she’s ready to bring them outside for everyone to see,” said Williams.
