Proud tiger mom welcomes newborn triplets

By Adam Dutton

Adorable footage shows a proud tiger mom washing and feeding her newborn triplets at a UK safari park.

Sumatran tiger Dourga, 13, gave birth to the cubs at West Midlands Safari Park in Bewdley, Worcs., on January 17.

The first cub arrived at 10.53 am with the second coming along an hour later at 11.53 am while the third was born at 1 pm.

The video shows Dourga doting on her cubs in her pen as they learn to walk and suckle.

Head Keeper of Carnivores, Kasha Carter, said: “We started monitoring our female Sumatran tiger, Dourga, closely after we noticed her belly had grown larger a couple of weeks ago, nearing a predicted due date we were preparing for.

“She started to show nesting behavior and on Friday morning we spotted more of a change.

“We gave her some space while she went into the cubbing den we had set up for her, and watched excitedly on the CCTV, as she successfully gave birth to three tiny cubs.

“Dourga has been doing a fantastic job at nursing and all three cubs have been suckling and seem to be very lively from what we can see so far. She is a very caring mother.”

There are only about 400 Sumatran tigers left in the world, making them critically endangered species mostly due to the expansion of palm oil plantations and an illegal trade in the animal’s body parts.

The triplets were born after a successful mating program between Dourga and an adult male, ten-year-old Nakal, who has been at the park since 2016.

They are also parents to the female cub, Lestari, who was born on July 4, 2023.

Kasha added: “This is such an amazing moment for the carnivore team and I to witness and be a part of, and we are proud to be playing our part in a successful conservation program for an animal that is ‘critically endangered’ in the wild. We can't wait to see what the future holds for them.”

The Sumatran tigers at the Safari Park are part of an EEP (EAZA Ex-Situ Programme), which is a collaboration between European zoos, aiming to conserve endangered species.

The sex of the cubs will be known then they undergo a health check at eight weeks.

They will then be named with names beginning with N which is the letter of all animals born at the park this year.