Tigress at Taiping zoo delivers three cubs

Good news for animal lovers!

The Malayan tiger population in Malaysia has grown. Three cubs, weighing between 700 and 900 grammes each, were born to an 11-year-old tigress at the Taiping Zoo and Night Safari on April 12.

Taiping Municipal Council president Khairul Amir Mohamad Zubir said the tigress itself was also born at the same zoo in 2009.

The gender of the cubs has yet to be determined.

With the new additions, the zoo now has eight Malayan tigers, Khairul Amir said in a statement today.

He said every new cub would live with its mother for at least 18 months while the weaning period is about three to four months.

Zoo director Dr Kevin Lazarus said it was the fourth time that Malayan tigers, known by their scientific name of Panthera Tigris Jacksoni, have been born at the zoo, the last one being in 2009.

The Taiping Zoo and Night Safari has been closed to the public from March 18 following the imposition of the movement control order (MCO) to combat Covid-19, but the animal inhabitants are constantly monitored to ensure their well-being.

The preliminary findings of the National Tiger Survey 2016-2020 indicate that the Malayan tiger population in the wild in the country has dwindled to less than 200 due to several factors, including poaching, loss of natural habitat and environmental pollution.

- Bernama