The Siberian tiger triplets were born to parents, Katharina and Sasha. Photo by: Julie Larsen Maher/WCS.
Last month, the Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) Bronx Zoo saw the arrival of three Siberian tiger cubs (Panthera tigris altaica). Also known as Amur tigers, they are the world’s largest cats with adult males weighing up to 318 kilograms (700 pounds). Most of the population is found in far eastern Russia, however a few animals also survive across the border in China.
The Siberian tigers is currently listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List. Around 360 Siberian tigers are thought to survive; while this number remembers perilously small, the population has grown from a low of 20-30 animals in the 1930s. Siberian tigers are imperiled by deforestation, a decline in prey, human-and-wildlife conflict, and poaching for the black market trade in Chinese traditional medicine. One of the gravest threats, however, may be low genetic diversity among wild Siberian tigers.
Triplets with their mom. Photo by: Julie Larsen Maher/WCS.
Triplets with their mom. Photo by: Julie Larsen Maher/WCS.
