Jaguar Zoo in southern Mexico has three new members - a litter of half-Bengal, half-Siberian tiger cubs that made their public debut this week.
The zoo, located 43km south east of the city of Oaxaca, mated their 12-year-old Siberian male tiger named Yagul with an 8-year-old female Bengal tiger, Yaki, to produce the litter.
"Despite being from two different subspecies, the cross-mating was done successfully and the cubs are in good condition," said the zoo's veterinarian, Felipe Ramirez Sanchez.
Although the zoo lacks a specific breeding program for the critically endangered Siberian tigers, also known as Amur tigers, Mr Ramirez said that they hope to find a Siberian female to mate with Yagul to produce fully Siberian cubs.
"The Siberian tiger species is a species that is in danger of extinction. Currently there are fewer than 2,000 of them in the wild," he said, also saying that they will start searching for a Siberian mate in other Mexican zoos.
"Bengal tigers are more numerous and are only considered threatened," he said.
The relatively small zoo receives around a thousand visitors each week and features 70 animals from 50 different species.
APTN
source: newshub archive
