Two Amur tiger cubs recently have been born at the Minnesota Zoo, thrilling staff and adding to the endangered species' population living in captivity worldwide.
The cubs, which have not yet been named, were born May 23 to mother Sundari — Dari for short — that also gave birth to a litter of cubs at the Apple Valley zoo in 2022. Their father is Luka, a male Amur tiger that also lives on site; this is the first litter he's sired.
The breeding was intentional, said Kurt Heizmann, the zoo's director of animal care, and part of the larger Species Survival Plan (SSP) for Amur tigers. An SSP is a program in which accredited zoos collaborate to maintain and manage the breeding of an endangered species.
Amur tigers, previously called Siberian tigers, are endangered, with just 500 living in the wild, Heizmann said. About 100 years ago, the tigers were down to 20 to 30 animals. The tigers come from far eastern Asia and eat wild boar and deer in their native habitat.
"We were really delighted that after the first set of introductions between Luka and Dari, Dari was in fact pregnant," Heizmann said, adding that male and female tigers typically live only with same-sex tigers at the zoo.
The zoo waited to tell the public about the cubs because it's not uncommon for tiger cubs to succumb to illness or face challenges competing for their mother's milk in the days and weeks after they're born.
The pair's eyes are open, they're moving around and exploring, and ventured outside for the first time a week ago, Heizmann said.
"The most important thing is they're growing," Heizmann said, adding that they have gone from 1 to 9 pounds in about five weeks.
The cubs are also busy building a strong bond with their mother, nursing and napping, he said. They will nurse for about a year while also trying meat and other food during that time.
Not every zoo gets to breed tigers and not every zoo is successful at it, said Diana Weinhardt, the zoo's Northern Trail curator.
"Tigers are very important to the Minnesota Zoo," Weinhardt said.
The Minnesota Zoo's history with tigers goes back to the 1980s, not long after the zoo opened with a focus on species that thrive in colder temperatures. Now, the zoo has seven Amur tigers, counting the babies.
The zoo co-leads the Tiger Conservation Campaign, and a staff member is the lead coordinator for Amur tigers' Species Survival Plan.
Weinhardt said the siblings so far weigh almost exactly the same and are "a little chubby" but healthy overall. Because they need vaccinations before they can live outside, they won't be introduced to the public until early fall.
"Our tiger cubs really have a very strong message of conservation attached to them," she said.
