Rare #Tiger Cub Makes Her Debut

 An Amur Tiger cub at Germany’s Zoo Berlin made her media debut last week.  The cub, named Alisha, is the only member of her litter to survive.

Posted on February 14, 2015 in Berlin Zoo

In December, three cubs were born to female Aurora and her mate, Darius, the third litter for this pair.  Unfortunately, two of the cubs did not survive.  When keepers observed that the remaining cub was in poor condition, they decided to hand-raise her.

Little Alisha is thriving under the keepers’ care.  For now, she spends much of her time sleeping, but zoo officials expect Alisha to move onto exhibit within a few weeks.

Amur Tigers, also known as Siberian Tigers, are the largest of the six surviving Tiger subspecies.  Native to far eastern Russia, the population of Amur Tigers dropped to fewer than 50 cats in the 1940s.  Today, thanks to improved law enforcement against illegal hunting, there are now nearly 400 Amur Tigers in the wild.  While Amur Tigers are still listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, scientists are hopeful that the upward trend will continue for these magnificent cats.

source