Three adorable new arrivals at the Magnetic Hill Zoo are stealing the hearts of staff and visitors alike.
Third And Final Video Of Three New Amur Tiger Cubs @MagneticHillZoo @CityofMoncton #Moncton #MonctonNews #NB #NBNews pic.twitter.com/OjoScbsAso
— 91.9The Bend News (@919TheBendNews) July 14, 2016
The Amur Tigers who arrived last year, are a specifically chosen mating pair, and they produced three cubs a little over two months ago.
Animal Care Foreman Jamie Carson says they were very lucky the mating pair were successful the first time out.
“To be an excellent mother for the first litter, and also to have three,” says Carson. “We would probably have expected maybe one or two but definitely our expectations have been met and surpassed for sure.”
Second Video Of All Three Of The Amur Tiger Cubs @MagneticHillZoo #Moncton #MonctonNews #NB #NBNews @CityofMoncton pic.twitter.com/aHLBbq6eU7
— 91.9The Bend News (@919TheBendNews) July 14, 2016
Carson says normally the reproductive system matures slowly, so it’s quite rare to have this successful a pairing.
“The first heat cycle isn’t necessarily expected to be a fertile one, and same as the males, the male has to figure out what to do, both physically and psychologically, so sometimes they have to go through the motions for a few cycles, or maybe even sometimes a year or more before things click,” says Carson.
Carson says the staff actually have to do very little work, as the mother tiger is taking great care of them.
“They’re gonna remain here for several months, then they’re going to be surplused and offered to other qualified zoos in the country, which we feel is not going to be an issue whatsoever,” says Carson. “There’s not a great number of baby tigers being born in the country right now, and fortunately there’s lots of great candidates for us to place these animals with.”
Carson says the five week old cubs will be on display at the Zoo from 11 to 12, and from 2 until 3 in the afternoon.
Many pictures of the three cubs can be found HERE
You Can See All 33 Pictures We Took Of The New Amur Tiger Cubs Here https://t.co/PpdK2ibirE @MagneticHillZoo @CityofMoncton #Moncton #NBNews
— 91.9The Bend News (@919TheBendNews) July 14, 2016
Here’s a video of one of the five week old cubs checking out reporter Dave Heintzman
