ST. LOUIS — The three tiger cubs at the Saint Louis Zoo are already fan favorites and the public can't even see them yet.
The zoo released several photos of Reka, an Amur tiger, gazing at her three cubs on Tuesday. The cubs were born on Nov. 13. In the photo, Reka is proudly looking down on her litter.
The zoo said Tuesday the animal care team is monitoring Reka and the cubs, and they said Reka is feeding, cleaning and keeping them warm. When the cubs have a checkup, the zoo can learn the sex of the cubs.
The cubs and mom are not visible to zoo visitors. They can move to the outdoor habitat in a few months once the cubs are big enough. Maxim, their father, is visible in the Big Cat County habitat.
Amur tigers are one of the most endangered big cats in the world. The zoo said fewer than 500 exist in the wild. They used to be called Siberian Tigers, but since they no longer roam the area, they were renamed after the Amur River in Russia.
The birth was the first successful tiger birth at the zoo in more than 10 years. The cubs will support the growth of the Amur tiger population in North American zoos.
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