White tiger bears offsprings

White tiger bears offsprings

JAKARTA (JP): An Indian white tiger at the Surabaya zoo has given birth to three cubs, two females and one male, Antara reported yesterday.

The proud parents, Ajaya and Melati, were a gift from the Indian government to President Soeharto. He then sent them to the Surabaya zoo.

"The three cubs are under extra tight supervision, hidden far away from the noise of the crowd," Harwono, the head of the collection division, told the news agency.

The extra precaution was deemed necessary because two cubs delivered by Melati last year died after only 18 and 27 days, he said. He said the mother had refused to feed them because of continual interruptions from noisy visitors.

Bambang Suhardjito, another zoo official, said that the cubs, each weighing 1.2 kg and measuring 30cm, will pass the critical period sometime in February.

The three had not yet been given names, he added.

Besides the three tiger cubs, the Surabaya zoo welcomed a baby Javanese ox this month. The ox was born to a red mother and a black father, both residents of the zoo, Antara said. (emb)