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London Zoo names its terrific tiger trio

21 Oct 202221 October 2022Last updated at 05:30commentsView Comments (4)ZSL London ZooThe cubs were born in June this yearZSL London Zoo welcomed three Sumatran tiger cubs earlier this year, and the adorable additions have now been named! Siblings Inca, Zac and Crispin were born to parents Gaysha and Asim at the conservation zoo in June. The tigers, which are critically endangered animals, were given their names following an auction last month which gave ZSL supporters the chance to decide what the babies would be called.

More on endangered animals

Wild tiger numbers up 40% than previously thought Mouse-deer and other animals back from brink of extinction Guide: What are endangered species?ZSL London ZooSumatran tigers are critically endangered animals "Inca, Zac and Crispin are great names for these feisty cubs - now four-months-old and growing fast.," said ZSL London Zoo tiger keeper Martin O 'Sullivan. "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. "We can tell the trio apart by the stripe patterns on their faces, which are unique to every tiger - we're delighted that all three have now been officially named."

Sumatran tiger facts from ZSL London Zoo

1. Tiger cubs start hunting from a very young age, with some beginning at just one-years-old! However, young tigers don't leave their mothers until they're about two. 2. Sumatran tigers, like other tiger species, are big fans of water. They enjoy cooling off in rivers and even swimming! 3. All tigers, including Sumatran tigers, have unique stripes, which means no two sets are the same. Sumatran tigers have the narrowest black stripes of any tiger subspecies and they're also the darkest in colour compared to other types.Why are these tiger triplets so important?ZSL London Zoo Tiger cub Inca chills with her dad Asim Inca, Zac and Crispin are part of a global conservation effort to protect Sumatran tigers through a breeding programme involving lots of different zoos. Sumatran tigers, which are the smallest types of tiger that exist, come from the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The animals are currently facing great challenges which threaten their existence. ZSL London Zoo Tiger cubs are great at climbing trees! There are only around 300 Sumatran tigers currently left in the wild, with poaching - which is the illegal hunting of animals - having the biggest impact on their numbers. Habitat loss, where environments animals live in are destroyed, is another big factor affecting Sumatran tigers living in the world. A big driver of habitat loss is human activity, like deforestation.

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To use comments you will need to have JavaScript enabled. These comments are now closed.4 commentsE

Ella

18:32 21 Octcute0 G

GreenBug101

13:35 21 OctI think this is amazing! I love the names for the tigers !0W

WillowPuppy

10:21 21 OctSo cute!0B

BobaRedPanda

08:03 21 OctI love tigers 0Back to topunknown

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