Litter of tiger cubs forms latest attraction at zoo

Four heterozygous tiger cubs were born to a six-year-old white tigress, last September

Four female tiger cubs are the latest attraction at Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Vandalur.

All four cubs were healthy and played with each other, under the care of their mother, 6-year-old white tigress Akansha, in the moat inside their special enclosure.

Akansha gave birth to the cubs on September 12 last year and the cubs were kept under the observation by the zoo veterinarians for the past six months. They are now they are fit enough to share space with grown animals, zoo officials said.

This is the second time a white tigress is giving birth to four cubs at a time. In October 2012, white tigress Anu gave birth to four cubs. Normally, tigresses deliver 2 cubs or maximum 3 in a litter.

Earlier, Akansha delivered three orange-striped female cubs, while another tigress, Namrutha, gave birth to two male cubs at the breeding centre in the zoo. The newborns will weigh up to 750 gm at birth and their eyes open in about 13 days.

During the first three months, they feed on mother’s milk and from the third month start eating meat, zoo officials said.