Safari Park gains Sumatran tigers

BOGOR: A Sumatran tiger, Riau, gave birth to twin cubs, a male and female, on Sunday at the Indonesian Safari Park, Cisarua, Bogor. The first was born at 12:45 a.m., followed by the second around 70 minutes later. The birth weight of each was 1.4 kilograms.

Park veterinarian Yohana said on Tuesday that Riau did not want to feed her cubs because one had a defective leg and the other a deformed head.

"In the wild, the mother would not breastfeed handicapped cubs as they would not be able to survive," she said.

Kompas Cyber Media reported the park is currently feeding the cubs with cat milk mixed with serum from Riau's blood so they can develop antibodies.

The cubs bring the park's collection to 22 Sumatran tigers. It was the third time Riau delivered cubs after mating with Simba. -- JP