First Pair of Tiger Cubs Born at the Baton Rouge Zoo in 25 Years

Authorities at the BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo welcomed two Malayan tiger cubs who were born July 29.

The pair is the fifth and sixth Malayan cubs born in the U.S. this year and the first tiger cubs born at the Baton Rouge Zoo in almost 25 years. The newly born cubs are with their mother at present and will stay there until they are old enough to come out of the exhibit.

"We couldn't be more excited to welcome these cubs," said Phil Frost, Zoo Director. "This is something that's been in the works since we first designed the Realm of the Tiger exhibit. During that process, we took into deep consideration the number of dens we would need, the subspecies of tigers that would be living there and their recommendations for breeding within the Species Survival Plan."

The unnamed cubs were born to the female Malayan tiger, which arrived there in 2009 from Fort Worth Zoo, and the male Malayan tiger that arrived from the Little Rock Zoo in 2012. Generally, the cubs remain with their mother for 8-12 weeks and once they are capable to navigate the place on their own, they leave their den.

"Among big cats, first-time mothers can commonly be incompetent in caring for their young which can sometimes result in none of the cubs surviving," said Sam Winslow, Assistant Director and General Curator. "Therefore we were very pleased that two of the four cubs have survived. As with any animal birth, we're optimistic and excited, but know that the first couple of weeks are a very delicate time in the survival of the cubs. The mother is very protective of the cubs and any interference could jeopardize them."

Visitors can have a glimpse of the pair at the Zoo's new 'Tiger Cam'. Known to be the smallest of the tiger species, Malayan subspecies were first identified in 2004. It is estimated that nearly 500 or less of these tiger species thrive in the wild and have been listed as Endangered by the IUCN. Their population faces threat from habitat loss and poaching. Their range stretches from Thailand to the Malay Peninsula.