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A little Sumatran tiger cub was born in December last year - and it’s taking its first wobbly steps outside one month later.
After an (unusual) day of glorious weather in London yesterday, the cub decided to brave a few steps away from Mama tiger Gaysha, and walk out into an outdoor shelter of London’s zoo.
The cub, which belongs to a critically endangered species, has been quite shy up until now, so London’s zoo keepers were thrilled and fascinated to get to see its first steps.
Zookeepers don’t yet know if the cub is female or male and will only find out in a few week’s time for the tiger’s first health check. Then comes the pleasure of choosing a name for the little critter (under Gaysha’s supervision of course)!
In the 1970s there were around 1,000 Sumatran tigers in the wild – today it is estimated that only 300 remain. The threat of extinction for this species is really high, so every birth and every new step is a victory for the Zoological Society of London.
If you visit the zoo in the near future, you might be lucky enough to see the little cub venture out further into its enclosure!
See adorable photos of ZSL London Zoo’s annual stocktake.