The Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C., has some celebrating to do after the birth of a pair of Sumatran tiger cubs, a critically endangered species.
The cubs were born on Monday to 4-year-old female tiger Damai, who arrived at the Smithsonian from the San Diego Zoo in 2011, and 12-year-old male tiger Kavi, who arrived a year ago from Zoo Atlanta.
“It has taken more than two years of perseverance getting to know Damai and Kavi and letting them get to know each other so that we could reach this celebratory moment,” curator Craig Saffoe said statement Thursday. “All I can do is smile because the team has realized our goal of producing critically endangered tiger cubs.”
While the cubs will not be on exhibit for a few months, so they can properly bond with their mother, tiger fans can watch the cubs reach milestone moments and bond with their mother via the live webcams on the Zoo’s website. You can also catch photos and videos of the tiger cubs, Damai, and Kavi on the Smithsonian’s National Zoo Flickr page.
Abby Borovitz