What you need to know:
- Tiger cubs make appearance at Austrian zoo.
- The three white Bengal tiger cubs were welcomed on social media
Dubai: Three rare white Bengal tiger cubs made their debut at Weisser zoo in Kernof, Austria.
Pictures and videos of the baby fur balls were shared on social media, and melted hearts online. The trio were born on May 7, 2019, and made their public debut recently. According to reports, the zoo has named the cubs Hector, Pascha and Zeus. The cubs have a white coat with distinct black stripes.
In the videos that were shared online, the cubs are seen crawling around, trying to get used to their surroundings.
According to a video report by international news organization, Reuters, the cubs will stay in the zoo for a year, before they are donated to other zoos.
In the video, Rainer Eder, head of the zoo said: “We are very proud that they are very healthy, and everything was managed perfectly by the mother, although the mother is very old this time – she is 13....”
According to a report by Indian magazine India Today, at the time of birth, the cubs weighed between 3.5 to 3.6kgs.
Bengal tigers
According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Bengal tiger is primarily found in in India with smaller populations in Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, China and Myanmar.
There are more than 2,500 tigers left in the wild.
While many countries have taken efforts to help conserve the species, poaching continues to be a threat to the tigers.
As compared to the orange Bengal tiger, the white tigers are heavier and are slightly larger at birth. They are white with black stripes. Their coat colour is a result of a genetic mutation.
