Endangered tiger cubs to get first public showing at Dublin Zoo

Dublin Zoo is looking for the public's help in naming its latest arrivals, two endangered tiger cubs.

The Amur cubs will be unveiled to the public this weekend for the first time.

The female cubs were born in October after a 106-day pregnancy to first-time mother, three-year-old Tundra, and eight-year-old father Ussuri.

They have been kept in a private enclosure with their mother since they were born while their father remained outside.

Like all tiger cubs, they were born with their eyes closed and were unable to see for the first 12-14 days.

At two weeks, one cub weighed 3.14kg and the other weighed 2.79kg.

Now that they weigh 15kg the zoo has decided they’re big enough to go outside to play in the tiger habitat.

Team leader Ciaran McMahon said the cubs have been doing extremely well.

Mr Mahon said: "Tundra is an exceptional first-time mother and she has shown strong maternal instincts from the very beginning"

He described both cubs as "very playful and energetic, just like their mother".

"The cubs have fun chasing each other and play-fighting which helps keep their claws sharp, while Tundra makes sure to clean them up straight afterwards, just like any good parent would," he added.

To celebrate their birth, Dublin Zoo is inviting the public to suggest names for the new arrivals based on their Russian origins.

Suggestions can be submitted at www.DublinZoo.ie/competition.asp

An endangered species, Amur tigers – which were formerly known as Siberian tigers, are native to eastern Russia, China and the Korean peninsula.

They are now found primarily in a small part of the Amur river region on the border between China and Russia.

It is estimated that about 540 remain in the wild.

In the 1940s, numbers had dwindled to 40 due to hunting before a conservation effort boosted the population.

Even though the new cubs have gained a lot of weight it will still take them time before they catch up with their parents.

Their mother weighs 124 kilos while their father weighs almost 200 kilos.

Dublin Zoo is part of an international breeding programme designed to ensure the survival of tigers in their natural habitat.

Once they reach adulthood, the cubs will be sent to other zoos for breeding with the aim of adding to the declining population.

Visitors will be able to see the cubs in their habitat daily day from 11.15am to 3pm from Saturday onwards.