Tiger Cubs at the Zoo!
Posted at 3:20 pm May 14, 2008 by Rochelle Willison
We have three new additions to Tiger River at the San Diego Zoo! At 6 a.m. on April 29, keepers discovered that Mek, our ten-year-old Malayan tiger, had given birth to three cubs. She had been on birth watch since April 24, and her behavior was somewhat different on the 28th but, as is often the case, she waited until we went home to give birth.
We waited for two days before handling the cubs to give Mek time to bond with them. There is one male and two females. They ranged in weight from 2.8 to 3 pounds (1.3 to 1.4 kilograms). Tigers are born defenseless, with their eyes closed, and are not very mobile. Now, at two weeks of age, their weights are climbing and their eyes are starting to open.
These cubs are very important because Mek and her mate, Paka, are both wild-born tigers and are critical to increasing genetic diversity in zoo populations. Paka, who belongs to the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska, was sent to us on a one-year breeding loan. His only job was to look good and breed with Mek. He accomplished both admirably!
This is Mek’s second litter; she gave birth to two male cubs in 2005. Now, as then, she is an excellent mother. Those two, Mata and Rimba, currently reside in a zoo in Florida.
Our new cubs will remain off exhibit for a few months. We will wait until they are big enough to handle the terrain of our exhibit. In the meantime, come and see either Paka or our other female, Danai, who will rotate on exhibit.
Rochelle Willison is a keeper at the San Diego Zoo.
Read a profile on Mek in our Kid Territory section.
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May 14th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
HOW CUTE!!!! I’m from omaha so very familiar with the zoo. Do they know where the cubs will go when they grow up?
May 14th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
WOW!!! What a surprise to you all!! Just read your statement and saw the cute pics of the 3 cubs. Do us a favor, ok? Let us know what their names are ASAP! I didn’t know that Malaysia had tigers. How rare are they and are these tigers on the endangered species list? Let us know that, too, ok? Have fun and take care of these cuties!! Mek is doing a great mommy job!
Thanks,
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
Moderator’s note: Sadly, all tiger species are endangered.
May 15th, 2008 at 2:46 am
What a wonderful distraction from the heartache we are all feeling about the life and death situation in China. Thank you so much — and I anxiously wait for more photos of the cubbies!! Congratulations to your success!!
May 15th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
What wonderful happy news to hear. It is great to know that new life is beginning while we are fixed on the sadness coming out of China and Burma (Myanmir).
Where is Awang? Wasn’t he Mata and Rimba’s dad, and Mek’s mate? Last blog I can find by searching says that in late 2006, Mek and Awang were reunited and happy to see each other. Was Paka brought in to help with the genetic diversity pool, or has something happened to Awang. I remember you lost Belang, but I don’t recall hearing any more about Awang. Is he Danai’s mate now?
May 16th, 2008 at 7:32 am
It’s a shame Mek and Paka were taken from the wild. I only hope the San Diego Zoo did not participate in this.
May 16th, 2008 at 8:27 am
How exciting!! =) And happy to also hear Mek is a good mom to her little ones !! Cant wait to see them !!
May 16th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
They are beautiful! And we are dying to see them! Please don’t wait so long to exhibit them. Congrats to Mek and Paka.
May 16th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Raf, if you will follow the link below the article to Mek’s profile you will see the story.
May 16th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Awsome do you know if there a boy’s or girl’s? Pleas keep us updated!
Have you guys ever thought of a tiger live cam?? Hope they don’t get into to much trouble !
May 16th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Congrats to Paka and Mek! Thank you to the SD Zoological Society for helping to ensure that these beautiful tigers will have a chance at survival.
May 16th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Congratulations!!! The babies are so cute!!!
May 18th, 2008 at 11:00 am
A beautiful story!
In reference to an earlier comment, it’s a good thing, not a shame, that Mek and Paka were taken from the wild. They and their descendants have a far greater chance of survival here than they would in Malaysia – that’s why they are endangered.
Congratulations to all you wonderful people at the San Diego Zoo who participated in this fabulous event.
May 18th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Congratulations to the proud parents and everyone else! What cutie pies! Bless all the cubs, parents and caretakers!
May 18th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Congratulations!! the cutest babies ever…….
When is the naming ceremony….
May 19th, 2008 at 6:30 am
Congratulations! I look forward to the updates on Mek and her new cubs
I am curious, though… what is the perfume that Mek likes so much?
Moderator’s note: Mek likes a perfume called ” Beautiful” and Paka is into ” Brute.”
May 19th, 2008 at 7:25 am
I was at the zoo that very day and was so impressed with the tiger out on display, wonder if it was Paka. So beautiful. The cubs are so cute. I will have to come again when they are out. I live in Sacramento so I don’t get there as often as I’d like. I too would like to see a tiger cam.
May 19th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
I like zoos they are filled with cute animals!!!!!!!!!!
May 19th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
This is great news. Mata and Rimba were absolutely incredible tiger cubs and it was really sad when they were transferred from the SD Zoo. Now there will be three Malayan tiger cubs, that’s awesome!
Thanks for the great news!
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:41 am
they are so cute!
May 25th, 2008 at 3:24 am
they are so cute!!! hope to be one of those people who’re taking care of them heheheeh… someday ill work in a conservation facility. keep up the good work guys, lets protect the wildlife so our children will have something to make their jaws drop and say ” thats awesome” heheheheh.. please take care of them (i know you will).. have a nice day… ill be there soon…
May 31st, 2008 at 5:51 am
Those new tigers are so cute!!! I can’t wait to visit them sometime at the SD Zoo becuase they are so adorable.
June 2nd, 2008 at 9:17 pm
Hopefully you’ll advise us, especially the members, when these adorable babies are ready to come out on exhibit. They are sooooo cute!
June 18th, 2008 at 8:45 am
Those tiger cubs are sooo cute, but then again, what tiger cub isn’t cute?
July 1st, 2008 at 9:51 pm
I was at the zoo today and got to see mom and cubs through the closed circuit television. They are getting big. One even managed to jump out of its box (den?) to follow mom. So cute!!!!
August 8th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
I think tigers are the most beautiful animal in the world. I have a bulletin board full of pictures I’ve saved over the years. I went to the zoo on Sunday August 3 specifically to see the new cubs. There was nothing on the zoo’s website or even on the bulletin board at the entrance about when the cubs will be on exhibit. I would love to know if they are on a schedule so I can come again when they are active. We’re so lucky in San Diego to have such a wonderful zoo.
Moderator’s note: The tiger cubs made their public debut on July 30, although they are only out a few hours each day. Visit our video portal to see their first day: http://www.sandiegozoo.org/videos/index.html
August 11th, 2008 at 4:18 am
very happy to see the cubs. mek did a great job. i was there for the last two cubs. we will enjoy them, and i hope we keep them at he zoo. thanks to all the keepers for helping mek.
August 24th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
I was so disappointed. I came down to see the cubs this past weekend and they were off exhihit! I know you have to do this at times so my timing wasn’t so hot. I did get to see the brand new baby giraffe so all was not lost! Next time. I also got to see more of Zhen Zhen.
August 26th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Does anyone know when is the best time to go to the zoo to have a chance of seeing the tiger cubs? Thanks!
Animal Care Staff responds: As with all youngsters, our cubs are unpredictable. Our general plan is to put them on exhibit when the Zoo opens and pull them in about noon. As with all our animals, scratches, sniffles, and routine baby shots may change the schedule on a given day.
September 22nd, 2008 at 11:06 am
They’re cute!
October 26th, 2008 at 4:51 am
Please can you put the cubs’ weights in your blogs whenever possible as I love knowing how fast they grow!
Moderator’s note: Rochelle promises to write an update about the cubs very soon. They are schedule to receive some pumpkins to play with on Tuesday, and we hope to post video of the fun!
November 21st, 2008 at 4:27 pm
the three cubs are now very big. i think you need to post some new photos of the great babies.thanks.\
jacquishepherd november20,2008
Moderator’s note: Rochelle has provided an update in her blog: http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/default/tiger-cubs-at-6-months/
May 4th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
My daughter is in 1st grade and they are reading a story about Tiger and their cubs. It states they are born with their eyes closed and don’t open them for a week or more and they would like to know why? Could you help explain this? Your expertise is appreciated.
May 7th, 2009 at 11:33 am
Hi Tracy,
When animals are born their development at birth is proportional to the time in gestation. Many predators have short gestations, which are beneficial to their ability to hunt. The less weighed down they are the faster they are. Their success rate of each hunt will then increase. Malayan tiger gestation is about 104 days. The cubs are born defenseless and not fully developed and must be tucked away whenever the mother leaves. Since they have a territory that they remain in, they are able to do this. Prey species, such as deer, need to be able to move suddenly when danger approaches. They also migrate. Their young must be able to go with them as soon as they are born. Their gestation is then longer, which allows their young to be fully developed and able to move with mom as soon as or shortly after they are born. Predators have the benefit of time to finish developing outside of the womb whereas prey species do not.
May 13th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Wow, I wish I could have a real baby tiger. But I can’t so send me more videos of the tigers!
May 13th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
You girl and guys rock I enjoy sending you emails! Email-you later!
May 13th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
Hey Tracy,
you look familiar do you live in Amarillo, TX? Because my stepdad went to the vet here and some women had a tiger cub, the women looked a lot like you email back bye!
August 30th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
They are so cute!
I went to this page because i just bought the Mek Degong stuffed animal.
I could tell that the real Mek is TONS bigger.
September 21st, 2009 at 10:27 am
they are so cute i wish they were mine.