Praneeta Mahajan
Hamilton, January 26, 2024
Hamilton Zoo is thrilled to provide an update on the development of its two tiger cubs, born earlier this year. The cubs have been keeping their mother, Kirana busy as they begin to learn important life skills and express unique personalities.
While the young visitors to the zoo have been sharing a love for the newborn cubs through colourful artworks, toys and sheer exuberance as they enter the zoo, the grown-ups have also felt the joy of welcoming these gorgeous babies into their city.
Simon, a father of two, spoke to Indian Newslink as they entered the zoo and said, “ How good is this? The fact that these animal babies will grow up in our city for all of us and for the children to watch and learn from it. I am happy that they will get to witness such a positive experience and I truly hope that the younger generation creates a more positive and humane connection with wildlife and nature through these moments.”
A special Gender reveal
The cubs had their first health check at 2 weeks of age, revealing they are both female.
“This is a fantastic outcome for us,” said Baird Fleming, Te Kaaroro Nature Precinct Director.
“Two female cubs are a great addition to the future breeding of this critically endangered species. Continuing their lineage and playing an important part in assuring genetic diversity in captive Sumatran Tigers within Australasia.”
At two weeks old, the cubs weighed in at 3.028kg and 2.861kg. Richard Sim, Head Veterinarian at Hamilton Zoo, reports that both cubs are healthy and doing well. The larger cub has a feisty personality and likes to vocalise, while the smaller one is quieter and more observant.
City celebrates its newborns
Hamilton Zoo ran a social media competition to guess the cubs’ gender, with those guessing correctly going in the draw to win a private Animal Encounter with Scout, the cubs’ dad. A gender reveal has been hosted today, on Friday, January 26, 2024, at the Sumatran Tiger exhibit. As a proud father, Scout revealed the genders via enrichment, with crowds gathering to watch and be among the first to find out.
Now that the genders have been determined, attention turns to naming the duo. “Names have not been decided”, said Mr Fleming. “There is still some talk about what approach we will take to name the cubs. We hope to have some public involvement. we do not know yet what that looks like.”
Kirana and the cubs currently have access to both their enclosure and an off-display den. When they are ready, Kirana and the cubs will venture out for people to see.
In the meantime, the Zoo has installed a monitor in the viewing area to regularly update visitors with footage from the den.
Hamilton Zoo will continue providing updates on the progress of the tiger cubs through their social media pages.
Hamilton Zoo at Te Kaaroro Nature Precinct is open 9:30 am – 4:30 pm daily.
Praneeta Mahajan is an Indian Newslink reporter based in Hamilton.
