With only 300 Sumatran tigers left in the wild, the arrival of 3 healthy cubs at London Zoo is a welcome addition to their dwindling population. Although the cubs were born on February 3rd, London Zoo chose not to publicise the delivery until they were happy that all three cubs were thriving. Pregnancy took 106 days for the 5 year-old tigress, Melati, and the birth process was monitored by remote cameras. Six year-old father, Jae Jae, is still able to be seen by visitors, whereas the mother and cubs are in a private cubbing den.

The arrival of the triplets is also welcome news to the keepers at London Zoo, who were left distraught after the tragic death of the first Sumatran tiger cub to be born in 17 years, a little under 6 months ago, when it drowned at only 2 weeks old.

The sex of the tiger cubs is not yet known, but they are being monitored 24/7 and have already opened their eyes and started to explore the den. We wish them all good health and can’t wait to meet them!