Unfortunately, a worrying amount of animal species are endangered, and some may even disappear from our planet in a matter of years. When newborns come to the world from an endangered species, it’s of utmost importance that someone takes good care of them.
Recently, a Siberian tiger gave birth to a very rare quintuplet of cubs. The babies – three boys and two girls – were born at a breeding center in China, in the city Harbin.
This fact is good news for the species, as experts estimate that only ~350 – 450 of them exist in the wild.
A quintuplet may sound like an extreme coincidence, but Siberian tigers often give birth to many cubs at a time. Five babies being born is quite exceptional, however, especially when they’re all completely healthy.
Unfortunately, the mother of the adorable Siberian tigers rejected them and refused to raise her children, something that often occurs in the animal kingdom.
Meet the Siberian #Tiger Quintuplets who are being looked after in #China after they were rejected by their mother https://t.co/H2iQyw5AMy
— China Icons (@chinaicons) May 28, 2017
Instead, the keepers at the Harbin breeding center decided to breed all five cubs by themselves.
Their nurturing schedule is quite extensive, as the newborns have to be bottle-fed with milk every three hours. Thanks to the love of the breeders, the baby Siberian tigers have been growing steadily, even gaining a little less than two ounces of weight each day, according to Li Xin, a breeder at the center where the cubs are being taken care of.
And the breeding center reports good news: both for the newborn cubs and the Siberian tigers in general. There will be a 150 Siberian tigers cubs in the center by the end of August 2017, which means these five newborns will have plenty of buddies to play with and it’s a boost to counter the endangerment of the animal species as well.
These cute tigers finally have names, as well!
#Heilongjiang’s Siberian tiger #quintuplets finally have names: Dongdon, Beibei, Huanhuan, Yingying, Nini, meaning the NE welcomes you. pic.twitter.com/eHikTnUfES
— ShanghaiEye (@ShanghaiEye) June 2, 2017
We hope that these tigers grow up to be strong and healthy. Their health is crucial to continue the existence of the species.
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