[ad_1]
SINGAPORE: The Night Safari has welcomed a pair of Malayan tiger cubs, the first successful birth of the critically endangered species in the Wildlife Reserves of Singapore (WRS) since 1998.
The Malayan tiger is facing extinction along with five other remaining tiger subspecies around the world, WRS said in a press release on Thursday (February 25).
WRS Deputy Director General and Biological Sciences Director Dr. Cheng Wen-Haur said twin births are a significant addition to the population of this subspecies, given that only about 150 Malayan tigers remain in the wild.
READ: Lion cub born at the Singapore Zoo, the first in the country conceived using assisted reproduction
Night Safari welcomed a pair of Malayan tiger cubs on December 27, 2020 (Photo: Wildlife Reserves Singapore)
The feline siblings, who have yet to be named, are currently cared for by their mother Intan, in an off-display area.
WRS said the animal care team closely monitors her progress through closed-circuit cameras and that Intan is proving to be a “great mommy” and is often seen grooming and playing with her puppies.
READ: ‘Can’t wait until it’s too late’: Singapore’s wildlife reserves boost breeding efforts for endangered species
Malayan tapir Bintang three months old. (Photo: Singapore Wildlife Reserves)
Singapore’s four wildlife parks also welcomed about 400 babies of 107 species last year, WRS said.
Of these, 29 are listed as threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. This includes a tapir calf named Bintang, which means “star” in Malay.
READ: Critically endangered red ruffed lemur twin babies are born at the Singapore Zoo
Goodfellow’s proud kangaroo mother, Nupela, with her firstborn Joey, Malolo. (Photo: Singapore Wildlife Reserves)
Other new animal births include a new Goodfellow joey tree kangaroo and a three-banded armadillo nicknamed Bento, which means “blessed” in Portuguese.
The River Safari also welcomed three baby West Indian manatees, adding to the WRS record of having raised 24 of this vulnerable species so far.
READ: Jurong Bird Park marks 50th anniversary with a S $ 2.50 entry
Bento the southern three-banded armadillo. (Photo: Singapore Wildlife Reserves)
Aquarists at River Safari bottle-feed two of the newborn manatee pups in 2020 (Photo: Wildlife Reserves Singapore).
“A key goal of wildlife farming in our parks is to achieve sustainable populations of species under human care. These animals act as ambassadors for their wild counterparts, connecting people to wildlife, and helping us tell their story through community involvement and education.
“Depending on the species and circumstances, these zoo-born progeny can also serve as security colonies that could one day be used to strengthen wild populations,” said Dr. Cheng.
