LOS ANGELES, Calif.–The Los Angeles Zoo announced today the births of Sumatran tiger cubs, giant otter pups and komodo dragon hatchlings.
The rare or endangered zoo animals were born or hatched between July 10 and Aug. 12. Zoo spokeswoman Leinani Bernabe said the announcement was delayed to “give the zoo keepers time to evaluate the health of each one of the animals, to make sure they survived and to give them time to predict their future health.”
The zoo’s female tiger Lulu, short for Melukakan, gave birth to three male tiger cubs on Aug. 6.
The cubs are being cared for and fed by the tigress.
The species of tiger is endangered according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The tigers are found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
The new cubs are not expected to go on exhibit at the zoo until December, but videos charting their progress will be available on the zoo’s website.
Two 8-week-old giant otter pups are available for viewing through the nursery windows at Winnick Family Animal Care Center.
The endangered freshwater mammals are rare in captivity. Only four other U.S. zoos exhibit the animals, which live in slow moving streams, lakes and swamps in South America, including the Amazon River system.
Lima, the zoo’s female komodo dragon, hatched 21 of the world’s largest species of lizards from Aug. 3-12. The komodos are currently about 14-20 inches long, but will grow to about 9 feet long and will weigh close to 200 pounds. Wild komodos live on a few islands in Indonesia.
It is unclear what will happen to the new animals. They could be sold or donated to other zoos depending on conservation needs, Bernabe said.
To follow the tiger cubs’ progress, go to http://lazoo.org
