Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport is welcoming the addition of two tiger cubs.
The zoo said Monday that its 10-year-old Amur tiger, Changbai, gave birth Nov. 25 to four tiger cubs, but only two survived. The surviving female cubs were taken from Changbai when she showed no interest in taking care of them.
The 2-week-old cubs are in seclusion in the zoo hospital. Staff is hand-feeding the cubs five times a day.
The zoo said one of the four kittens had been found unresponsive after birth and a second kitten died later that night.
Director Gregg Dancho said every possible effort was being made to help the kittens survive.
“We are hand feeding the babies five times a day,” Dancho said in a statement. “They are being given a feline milk replacement formula, supplemented with vitamins. They are a little underweight, possibly due to the age of their mother and the fact that there were four kittens in the litter.”
The zoo said Amur tigers, also known as Siberian tigers, are very rare.
