Animal
14:08, 20-Apr-2019
Rare Siberian tiger mom with cubs spotted in NE China
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An infrared camera captured footage of a Siberian tiger and her three cubs in the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park on April 18.
Young Siberian tiger prowling in snow. /VCG Photo
Young Siberian tiger prowling in snow. /VCG Photo
According to Zhou Shaochun, a researcher at the provincial wildlife institute, a female Siberian tiger normally gives birth to two to four cubs at a time. It is very rare to see a mother tiger with three surviving cubs, given the natural environment in the wild.
Zhou estimates the cubs are around six months old, adding that they "look very healthy."
This is the first time that a big cat family has been caught on camera in Heilongjiang since 2017, according to Zhou.
He said that the appearance of the tiger family has demonstrated that the efforts made by the park has improved the environment in recent years.
A Siberian tiger in snow. /VCG Photo
A Siberian tiger in snow. /VCG Photo
The park was built in 2017 as a sanctuary for highly endangered Siberian tigers and Amur leopards, who mainly live in eastern Russia, northeast China and northern part of the Korean Peninsula.
(Cover image shows to Siberian cubs playing in the grass via VCG.)
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