Several newborn tiger cubs have been making their public debut and delighting tourists at zoos across China ahead of the International Tiger Day which falls on Monday.
Founded by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) back in 2010, the International Tiger Day is held annually on July 29 and aims to raise awareness of the important conservation work needed to protect the natural habitat of the endangered big cats.
Among the sites introducing new cubs to visitors for the first time is the Wangcheng Park Zoo in Luoyang City of central China's Henan province.
The Wangcheng Park Zoo began to breed the first batch of South China Tigers -- one of the most endangered animal species in China -- back in 1985, and is now home to the largest number of these tigers anywhere in the country.
The latest two additions to the zoo's South China tiger population have just reached 100 days old, and on Sunday the twins were unveiled to the public for the first time, delighting visitors.
"I like the tiger cubs very much. I'm very happy today. I'll come back and see them again," said Han Xuhang, a young tourist.
Staff at the zoo say that a dedicated team has been assigned to care for the twins and are observing their condition every day.
"These two South China tigers are twin brothers. Their mother has no parenting experience, so we zookeepers have taken on the responsibility of the tiger mother. When the two little tigers were born, one weighed 1,175 grams and the other 1,120 grams. Currently, they both weigh around four kilograms," said Liu Zhaoyang, the deputy head of the Wangcheng Park.
Video footage shows the young tiger duo to be bright-eyed and alert as they cautiously survey their surroundings and zookeepers say they are developing well, and are now consuming plenty of food.
"They have a big appetite now. They can eat four meals a day, including two milk feeds and two meat feeds," said Liu.
Meanwhile, it's been a happy summer so far at the Guaipo Tiger Park in Shenyang City of northeast China's Liaoning Province, where two Siberian tiger mothers have each given birth to triplets - including five males and one female cub. Their birth dates are less than two weeks apart, and they are currently being raised by one of the mother tigers.
"We will gradually increase the milk feeds for the young tigers after they are 20 days old. Then when they are around 40 days old, we will start adding minced meat to their diet. At around 50 days, we will begin feeding them chicken carcasses," said Feng Zhirong, a veterinarian at the Guaipo Tiger Park.
As Siberian tigers prefer colder weather, the zookeepers have prepared a water pond, a fountain, and ice blocks to help the tiger mothers and their cubs stay cool during the scorching summer days.
Zookeepers say they will also look to gradually expand the activity range of the young tigers, in order to improve their ability to survive and adapt in the wild.
Newborn tiger cubs meet visitors at Chinese zoos ahead of Int'l Tiger Day
