Tiger cubs at London Zoo
Melati is the mum, and she has 3 tiger cubs
In 2014 Melati the tiger had 3 babies. This was fantastic news because tigers are rare. Melati came from the island of Sumatra where only 300 tigers live.
At first Melati spent almost 24 hours a day caring for the cubs, playing with them, feeding them and washing them. She only left them for a few minutes at a time to eat.
At first Melati spent almost 24 hours a day caring for the cubs, playing with them, feeding them and washing them. She only left them for a few minutes at a time to eat.
The tiger cubs spent all their time inside for the first few weeks. Eventually they went outside to explore their surroundings and saw their dad for the first time.
A month after the trio of tiger cubs were born the zoo's vets checked their health. Before the vets could do the health check, the zookeepers had to separate mum Melati from the cubs and then round up the cubs. This wasn't easy as the triplets already had sharp claws and feisty personalities.
The vets checked each cub thoroughly, examining their tiny stomachs, paws and ears and declared them all fit and healthy. The vets gave the cubs their vaccinations, which helped to boost their young immune system.
Although the vets were excited to see the cubs, the cubs weren’t thrilled to see the vets. But it was actually good that they wriggled and hissed at the vets because it meant they were behaving naturally.
The vets checked each cub thoroughly, examining their tiny stomachs, paws and ears and declared them all fit and healthy. The vets gave the cubs their vaccinations, which helped to boost their young immune system.
Although the vets were excited to see the cubs, the cubs weren’t thrilled to see the vets. But it was actually good that they wriggled and hissed at the vets because it meant they were behaving naturally.
Tiger facts
- The tiger is the biggest wild cat in the world.
- A tiger’s roar can be heard up to 2 miles away.
- Tigers are rare – only 3,000 tigers live in the wild.
- Today only 300 tigers live in Sumatra, down from 1,000 tigers 30 years ago.
Tiger map
Tigers live in the orange areas. They used to live in the yellow areas.
A forest in Sumatra