Memphis Zoo announces birth of 2 Sumatran tiger cubs

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Memphis Zoo announced the births of two Sumatran tiger cubs on Friday.

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According to a news release from the zoo, Dari, a 7-year-old Sumatran tiger, gave birth to the cubs on May 5. The father of the cubs is 4-year-old Gusti, zoo officials said.

The cubs are the first tigers born at the Tennessee zoo since April 1998, according to WMC-TV. Sumatran tigers are an endangered species.

“As the last of the island tigers, preserving Sumatran tigers is critically important,” Dan Dembiec, the zoo’s West Zone Curator, said in a statement. “Sumatran tigers are managed collaboratively in breeding programs by accredited zoos globally. So, the birth of tiger cubs here at the Memphis Zoo is a milestone with a worldwide impact.”

The zoo has yet to put the cubs into public view. They will receive a series of vaccinations when they are 6 weeks old, the zoo said.

Officials said the cubs will be able to explore the zoo’s outdoor exhibit when they are 3 months old.

“When Dari went into labor on the evening of May 5th, all the zookeepers were anxiously awaiting the news, and they all breathed a sigh of relief when it became readily apparent that the cubs were alive and that Dari’s maternal instincts were appropriate,” Dembiec said in a statement.