Amur tiger cubs explore their habitat in public debut at Minnesota Zoo
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A crowd of zoogoers gathered as two rare Amur tiger cubs made their public debut at the Minnesota Zoo Thursday morning.
“It’s a gift to be able to see something like this,” said Angela Dimler, a guest who was at the zoo bright and early. She had a smile on her face as she watched twin cubs, Andrei and Amaliya explore their new habitat with mother, Dari.
The species of tiger is native to far eastern Russia and northern China and faces endangerment, according to Zoologist Trista Fischer. She says there are an estimated 500 Amur tigers left in the wild.
“There is a need to help preserve these animals,” Fischer said. The Minnesota Zoo makes efforts towards the conservation of the tigers through a Tiger Species Survival Plan, which Fischer coordinates at the zoo. The plan aims to create a robust population in human care.
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Dr. Annie Rivas is the director of Animal Health at the zoo. She said this is the second litter of tiger cubs that she has been able to help with in those conservation efforts. In 2022, Dari gave birth to a litter of cubs.
Rivas described Andrei and Amaliya’s distinctive personalities.
“Our little girl, Amaliya, is the brave one. She is the first explorer,” Rivas said, “Her brother is her supporter in the background, who will follow his lead sister as she gets into trouble and explores the world.”
Zoo officials hope the cubs will bring awareness to their efforts of preservation and the dangers Amur tigers face.
“Today is a day that we get to share all of the hard efforts that the staff has put in over the many weeks and months behind the scenes,” Fischer added, “We get to proudly share that moment with our guests.”
The zoo has also welcomed four new Sea lions into their facility over the summer that also made their public debut Thursday.
The Minnesota Zoo invites the public to visit the new additions as they adjust to their new habitats.