LONDON -- Three Sumatran tiger cubs have made their first steps into the world.
The furry trio, who emerged blinking into the January sun at Chester Zoo in England on Tuesday, were born on Jan. 2 to 8-year-old tigress Kirana after a 105-day pregnancy.
Sumatran tigers are the smallest of all tigers and are distinguished by heavy black stripes on orange coats. They are classified as critically endangered and are only found on the Indonesian island of Sumatra; fewer than 400 are thought to exist globally.
"Hello world!" pic.twitter.com/RB6jimxF1J— Chester Zoo (@chesterzoo) January 27, 2015
The species has been threatened by habitat loss and an illegal wildlife trade. Poachers seek them out for the body parts for traditional medicine. Chester Zoo’s Sumatran tigers are part of the European Endangered Species Breeding Programme.
"The arrival of this latest trio of cubs is vital to the ongoing survival of the species and the back-up population found in zoos," Chester Zoo's curator of mammals, Tim Rowlands, said.
"Sumatran tigers are one of the rarest big cat species in the world. That’s what makes our new tiger trio so incredibly special – they’re a rare boost to an animal that’s critically endangered."