Rare Footage of Twin Sumatran Tiger Cubs Emerging From Their Den Is Too Cute
Only 350 of these beautiful tigers remain in the wild.
The Chester Zoo in Cheshire, England celebrated the birth of two twin endangered Sumatran tiger cubs in January, and now, these precious babies are starting to venture outside of their den for the very first time.
The female twins, named Alif and Raya, have only just started to explore the outside world and take their first steps outside. Watch the following video to see these amazingly adorable cubs.
They're just too cute! @StewartMcneill said what a lot of us are thinking with, "Oh, what gorgeous cubs. I would love to hug them!" @Delight adds, "Oh what gorgeous kitties!" Their blue eyes and markings are just so stunning.
Dayna Thain, the zoo's carnivore keeper, said to see the two cubs thriving was "absolutely wonderful."
"It's a real joy to get a glimpse of the cubs exploring and enjoying some playful rough and tumble together," she said.
She adds, "The cubs are still a little shy and pop in and out of the den with mum Kasarna, but it's going to be a real privilege to watch as they grow in confidence and their feisty personalities really start to show through."
Sumatran tigers are found only in patches of forest on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The species is listed as critically endangered in the wild. Horrifically, the species is also heavily poached for its skin, bones and canine teeth, which are sold illegally in Asian medicine markets. The conservationists at the zoo are fighting illegal poaching and helping to mitigate conflict between humans and tigers in India and Nepal.
With so few of these gorgeous animals remaining in the wild, here's hoping the more exposure the zoo brings to these animals the greater chance the public will help to work toward protecting this vulnerable species. If you are interested in "adopting" a tiger, you can do so here.
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