Tiger Cub Pair Gets More Room for Playtime Adventures
The Bengal cub looks curiously at the photographer. Photo by Elyse Leano.
The rambunctious Sumatran and Bengal tiger cubs being cared for by the animal care staff at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park are growing and thriving. The younger of the two male cubs, a Bengal tiger, now weighs 15.6 pounds; and his Sumatran tiger companion weighs 19.1 pounds. As they continue to grow, the Bengal tiger will eventually outweigh the Sumatran tiger by about 200 pounds.
The Bengal tiger cub is still receiving bottle feedings every three hours and is starting to eat some ground meat. The Sumatran cub is taking his formula mixed with ground meat from a bowl.
Since the cubs are doing so well together and are growing larger, keepers decided it was time for them to move to a larger room inside the Ione and Paul Harter Animal Care Center. Keepers placed new enrichment items in the room for the cubs to explore—including large climbing boxes with ladders, stuffed toys to tackle, and pillows and blankets to slide on. The room is also equipped with a special feature: a large, iron mesh window that is open to the outside. This window will provide the cubs with important enrichment, in the form of new sounds, sights and smells in the area outside the nursery.
Category: Animals, Local News
