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Tiger Twins Emerge at Chester Zoo

Chester Zoo recently captured and released footage of two of its latest residents – twin Sumatran tiger cubs.

The video caught the two cubs emerging from their Chester Zoo den for the first time since their birth in January.

Under the watch of their proud mother Kasarna, the two cubs can be seen having a playful wrestle in the green leafy habitat designed to resemble their natural environment, the forests of Sumatra, Indonesia.

Carnivore Keeper for Chester Zoo, Dayna Thain, commented on the recent footage:

“They’re one of the world’s rarest tiger subspecies and so to see these two cubs thriving here is absolutely wonderful. It’s a real joy to get a glimpse of the cubs exploring and enjoying some playful rough and tumble together.”

While the cubs are still too shy to venture far without their mum, the keeper is looking forward to seeing their feisty personalities come into play as they grow more confident.

The twin cubs are both female and have been called Raya and Alif after Sumatra’s highest peak and the popular Indonesian given name, respectively. They are part of a special international breeding program that is designed to protect their species from extinction. The Sumatran Tiger has been registered as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with only 350 remaining in the wild.

A leading conservationist, Chester Zoo is committed to safeguarding the species and boosting its numbers on the planet, which have been severely depleted due to habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict and hunting pressures.

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