You may remember back in July, when we covered the photo release of the newborn Sumatran tiger cubs from The Zoological Society of London London Zoo. Frankly, it was rather too much cuteness for the Secret London team and we all had to take the afternoon off so we could coo at our phones as we looked at the photos for hours on end. Having been born in June, the tiger cubs needed to pass health checks, and we had to wait patiently for the Zoo to name the adorable tiger cub triplets.
Well, they’ve received a clean bill of health, and as the Critically Endangered cubs grow and develop, they’ve finally been named. ZSL London Zoo supporters were able to bid on the chance to choose names for the cubs as part of an auction that raised £51,000 for ZSL’s vital work for wildlife in the process. So, London, meet Inca, Zac, and Crispin. Cue cuteness overload once more – we’re going to have to take the afternoon off again!
Said ZSL London Zoo tiger keeper Martin O ‘Sullivan:
“Inca, Zac and Crispin are great names for these feisty cubs – now four-months-old and growing fast. Inca loves her food and is always ready to defend a bit of chicken from her brothers if necessary. Crispin is a little quieter than his two boisterous siblings, and is definitely a mummy’s boy – preferring to snuggle up to Gaysha in the sun – while Zac is the largest cub and loves playfighting with his sister, getting an early start on developing their hunting skills.”
How to tell the triplets apart
You may be thinking to yourself, they look pretty similar. Well, that’s just to the untrained eye! As Martin O ‘Sullivan explains, “We can tell the trio apart by the stripe patterns on their faces, which are unique to every tiger.” I don’t know about you, but I’m going to be closely analysing these pictures to try and memorize which one is which.
As a Critically Endangered species, there are only about 300 Sumatran tigers left in the wild. The three cubs at ZSL London Zoo form part of a global conservation effort that spans zoos across Europe. Their health and development represent a fantastic boost to the conservation of the species. And they’re just so gosh darn cute.
Martin O ‘Sullivan also had the following to say about the new Sumatran tiger cub triplets:
“Though adult tigers are experts at camouflage, the cubs are definitely still only at the practise stage; alongside our visitors, we’ve loved watching them play hide and seek in Tiger Territory this autumn, honing this skill and others such as stalking and pouncing. Supporting ZSL and the natural world can come in many forms, including paying a visit to the Zoo and with half-term approaching it’s the perfect time to book a wild day out in support of conservation.”