ANIMALS: Three rare small Siberian tiger cubs, highly endangered, have made their first steps outside their den …
Baikal, Sayan and sister Taiga went out of their lair on Monday. These three baby Siberian tiger cubs, a very rare threatened species, were seen for the first time at the zoo of Besancon , where they were born on the 29th September.
“They are doing very well” and now weigh more than five kilograms each, told Margaux Pizzo, head of the Zoological Garden of the Citadel of Besançon.
Species classified as endangered on the Red List of Threatened Species
“This birth is even more remarkable that the father, Cliff, has a very interesting genetic because very poorly represented in the captive population of Siberian tigers in Europe,” she added, noting ” the importance of preserving the genetic diversity of the species. ” Especially as the Siberian tiger, which has about 600 individuals in the wild, a species classified as endangered on the Red List of endangered species.
The father is separated from the range by a fence to prevent it from violating the cubs in thick fur, which happily play with the tail of their mother. “The male is quiet and does not seem aggressive, but we prefer to wait for the cubs to be more sturdier before putting in contact with him and it will depend on how the mother defends her cubs,” said Margaux Pizzo.
