Twice the stripes: Sumatran tiger twins born at OKC Zoo
Lola, the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden’s 11-year-old female Sumatran tiger, has given birth to two healthy cubs.
The critically endangered Sumatran tiger twins were born July 2 at the zoo’s Cat Forest habitat. The first cub was born about 4:31 p.m. and the second soon after at 4:49 p.m.
According to the zoo’s carnivore care team, Lola and her cubs are doing well and spending time together behind the scenes to bond. Caretakers will continue to monitor Lola and her offspring by video and conducting limited visual checks. In a few weeks, the zoo’s veterinary care team will conduct physical exams on each of the cubs to obtain their weights and measurements, as well as determine their gender.
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“Lola has proven to be an extremely attentive and nurturing mother to these new additions to our animal family,” said Tyler Boyd, the Oklahoma City Zoo’s curator of carnivores. “Throughout her pregnancy and birth of these cubs, she has participated in ultrasound monitoring and training sessions with her caretakers that allowed us to be as prepared as possible for their arrival. So far, Lola is doing an excellent job, and the cubs are spending plenty of time nursing and bonding with mom.”
Lola and her cubs will remain off public view at Cat Forest until the cubs are old enough to receive their first round of vaccinations and safely navigate their outdoor habitat. The zoo will share updates on Lola and her twins on its social media accounts.
The successful birth of the twins makes this Lola’s second litter of cubs with mate Kami, 14. The breeding pair welcomed male triplets in July 2017.
Sumatran tigers are critically endangered with only an estimated 500 individuals living in the forests of Indonesia.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Sumatran tiger twin cubs born at OKC Zoo
