ZooBorns

UPDATE: Amur Tiger Cubs Thriving at Nordens Ark

Born on April 12, three Amur Tiger cubs at Sweden’s Nordens Ark are thriving. The cubs recently sat for a quick photo shoot.  In the video, two of the cubs were tuckered out, but the third cub had other ideas! 

Photo Credit: Tom Svensson

 

The two-and-a-half-week-old cubs were born to mother Sparta and remain with her in the birthing den for now.  Honan continues to provide excellent maternal care for her offspring.  The family will move onto public display sometime this summer.  You can see the cubs’ first baby pictures here. 

Amur Tigers are also known as Siberian Tigers.  They are native to the far northeastern regions of Russia and are the largest of the six living Tiger subspecies.  With only 400 individuals remaining in the wild, zoo-born animals like these three cubs are increasingly important to the survival of the species.

 

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Ferocious Wolverine Pups Born in Sweden

Staff at Nordens Ark in Sweden finally got a glimpse of their newest residents, three Wolverine pups. The pups, born on February 21st, recently emerged from their mother's den; where they spent the first six weeks of their lives completely dependent on their mother.

Wolverines have a fairly small captive population of around one hundred individuals internationally. Since Wolverines are considered to be difficult to breed in captivity, and are associated with high infant mortality, this is a very important birth for the captive population. This is the second litter for the mother. She proved to be an excellent mother to her first litter of pups, so keepers are optimistic about the outlook for her newest batch.

Photo credits: Tom Svensson / Nordens Ark

Wolverines are medium sized predators. They are classified in the same family as Weasels, and are the largest species in this grouping. They are ferocious predators that are known to take down prey several times their own size. Native across the Northern Hemisphere in North America, Europe and Asia, Wolverines have adapted to a wide range of habitats. They are currently listed as species of "least concern" by the IUCN due to relatively large population numbers. Despite this, in February of 2013, the US Fish and Wildlife Service proposed give the species protection under the Endangered Species Act due to habitat loss as a result of global climate change.

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Nordens Ark Welcomes Three Amur Tiger Cubs

A litter of Amur Tiger cubs was born on April 12 at Sweden's Nordens Ark. The three cubs, two males and a female, were born to mother who is important to the European breeding program for this critically endangered species. For the next few weeks, the cubs will remain with Honan in the den. According to zoo keepers, Honan is a great mother and is very gentle with her cubs. The family will make a public debut early this summer.

Photo Credit:  Tom Svensson/Nordens Ark

Amur Tigers, also known as Siberian Tigers, are the largest of the six living Tiger subspecies, with males attaining a head and body length of well over six feet (200 cm) and a weight of more than 400 pounds (180 kg).  They inhabit remote mountain areas of the Russian Far East.  With fewer than 400 individuals and a breeding population of about 250 adults, Amur Tigers are classified as endangered, due primarily to poaching.  A number of international agreements to ban trade and enhance surveillance may be helping to stabilize the population, though low genetic diversity within the wild population may threaten the future of this species.

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Three Little Wolf Pups

Maned Wolves at Sweden's Nordens Ark Zoo had two pups in late January; one male and two females. The zoo's breeding pair is a key pair in the Maned Wolf breeding program worldwide, making this birth especially important for conservation. Maned Wolf pups are born all black, and gradually change color as they grow older. By around six months of age, they'll be nearly completely reddish brown. The pups will remain close to their mother in their den for now, but by spring visitors should have a chance to see them in person.

Photo credit: Tom Svensson/Nordens Ark

Maned Wolves come from South America and are currently listed as vulnerable to extinction on the IUCN Red List.