The best things in life are worth
waiting for and at the United Kingdom’s Banham
Zoo, female Amur Tigress Sveta made her keepers wait longer than expected before giving birth to twins on June 14.

Photo Credit:  Banham Zoo

Keepers had expected Sveta
to give birth up to 6 days prior to the day the cubs arrived and had been
monitoring closed circuit TV cameras day and night for signs that she might be
ready to give birth.

When the cubs finally
arrived, keepers were able to watch the birth via the live camera link, giving Sveta complete privacy. 

The twins are making excellent progress.  An external
monitor allows zoo guests to view the cubs without any intrusion whatsoever to the
new family.

The newborn cubs are very important additions to the European captive breeding program for Amur
Tigers. Kuzma, the cubs' father, was born at Banham Zoo in 2008 and was recently ranked as one of the most
important males in the breeding program. His genes are poorly represented
within the captive population so breeding him was considered a high priority. His
mate, Sveta, arrived from Portugal's Lisbon Zoo in 2011 and this is their first
successful litter together.

Amur Tigers are listed as Endangered by the
International Union for Conservation of Nature. Recent information
indicates that there are less than 400 Amur Tigers left in the wilds of far eastern
Russia. Captive
breeding could be a critical factor for the survival of the world’s
largest cat.