(6/29/2012)
A pair of white Bengal tigers at the Bali Zoo have given birth to three orange-striped cubs on Monday, June 11, 2012.
The proud parents are two rare white Bengal tigers: 9 year-old mother
Kartini and her 8.5-year-old mate
Buntung.
The three cubs born at the Singapadu facility in Gianyar, now just three weeks after their birth, weigh 4 kilograms each and measure between 57 and 60 centimeters in length. The white tiger gene is known to produce some of the largest tigers in existence. Accordingly, the three “girls” are showing signs of the very large cats they may become, having almost tripled in length and added 3.8 kilograms in weight in less than 20 days.
Kartini is an enthusiastic mother of the three. "Mum" is provided by the zoo with three liters of milk and calcium supplements each day. Meanwhile, her children are now having their mother's milk diet supplemented with two feedings of fresh meat each day weighing 4 kilograms.
The cubs will be weaned from
Kartini in September, three months after their birth.
The three offspring - who have been given the names
Punja, Delta and
Gangga - are being kept in special enclosures under intensive care by a team of veterinarians. The doctors are reportedly most pleased with the trio’s progress.
Born to a pair of white tigers who obtain their white color via a recessive mutant gene, the three orange tiger cubs born at the
Bali Zoo are not unheard of among white tiger births and are classified as
“Golden Tabby Tigers.” Such offsrping are thought by scientist to be orange tigers that carry the stripeless white gene as a recessive trait. In nature, white tigers, in fact, range from very dark, white to varying shades of orange.
The birth of the three Bengal Tigers at the
Bali Zoo are welcome additions to a collection of over 350 animals living on the 9 hectare park.
[
Bali Zoo Entry]
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