Indianapolis
It’s the Year of the Tiger and the Indianapolis Zoo is celebrating the birth of tiger triplets.
On May 27, the zoo’s 7-year-old Amur tiger, Zoya, gave birth to the trio. Two of the cubs are male and one is female. The zoo reports the cubs are doing well and their mom is in good health.
Zoo representatives said when Zoya delivered baby number one, she was tending to the cub but still showed signs of labor. Veterinary staff then delivered the two other cubs by cesarean section. The cubs weighed in at around 2 pounds each.
Zoya was born at the zoo in 2014 and is a first-time mom. The father is 14-year-old Pavel.
The zoo also noted that the cubs’ birth is “extremely important” as there are currently fewer than 100 Amur tigers in zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Currently, the zoo’s animal care team is taking care of the cubs and the trio is expected to be introduced to the public in mid-September at 16 weeks old.
Zoo representatives said the team would be launching a community campaign to name the cubs in July.