On June 20, nine-year-old Sumatran tigress Cinta gave birth to cubs. The two cubs have been doing very well over the past few weeks. On Wednesday, August 16, they received their vaccinations and their genders were determined. They are two male cubs.
"In the last few weeks, we had to make do with the footage from the surveillance camera in the litter box. But even these have already impressively shown that the two young tigers are developing well - a joy for the zoo team and me, because every offspring in the highly endangered Sumatran tigers can contribute to the conservation of the species. The task of zoos is to do their utmost against the extinction of species, which also threatens mankind, and fortunately the zoo can make a small contribution here. Now it is nice that the tiger cubs can be seen by visitors to the facility. Especially during the summer vacations a visit to the zoo is a good idea. Here you can not only meet the animals, but also learn a lot about their wild relatives," says Ina Hartwig, Head of Department for Culture and Science.
"This is the first time Cinta has had cubs. How she would deal with the situation, which is new for her, was not foreseeable for us. But she did everything right from the beginning and took very good care of her offspring. When she is not in the litter box taking care of the little ones, she likes to go to Emas. The two get along very well and seek closeness to each other. Emas, who at fourteen is also having his first offspring, also occasionally looks after the cubs, but keeps his distance," explains zoo director Christina Geiger.
Now - at just under two months - the little tigers are visibly becoming mobile. At this age, vaccinations against cat cold, among other things, are due. In addition, the tigers receive their chip with all important data. On this occasion also after the sexes of the animals is looked - it is two males.
Sumatran tigers are a very rare tiger subspecies become. Estimates of the World Conservation Union IUCN assume a maximum of 400 animals that currently still live in their ancestral homeland. The Frankfurt Zoological Society (ZGF) has been involved in the protection of the lowland rainforests in the Bukit Tiga Puluh region of Sumatra since 1998. This biodiversity hotspot is home to many endangered species such as tigers, orangutans and elephants.
"Around 30 tigers are still thought to be in Bukit Tiga Puluh National Park. But no one knows for sure, so we want to do a survey with camera traps over the entire national park. Because our fear is that also here the tigers become less", says Christof Schenck, managing director of the ZGF. That the society can support the protection of the Bukit Tiga Puluh National Park, the nature protection euro of the Frankfurt zoo visitors also helps.
The names of the two tiger cubs should have a reference to the protection project of the ZGF on Sumatra. Peter Pratje, head of the Bukit Tiga Puluh conservation program, sent the suggestions from faraway Indonesia. The choice fell on Raja, meaning king, and Rimba, Indonesian for jungle.
