The first South China tiger cub born in South Africa was shown to the media at the Laohu Valley Reserve in the southern Free State on Tuesday.
The cub, not named yet, was born 11 days ago, weighing 1,2kg, and opened his eyes on Monday.
”He is now 2,5kg,” said Li Quan, founder of Save China’s Tigers at Laohu Valley. ”He is quite vocal, but it is feeding time. He has gained and grown.”
The South China tiger is one of the most endangered species in the world. Experts estimate that fewer than 30 of these tigers remain living in the wild.
The cub was being hand-fed by Kim Hiltrop, an expert in cub rearing from the Lory Park Animal and Owl Sanctuary in Midrand.
”We lack the expert knowledge of hand rearing a cub and are thankful for the partnership with Lory Park,” said Quan.
She said the cub was taken away from his mother, Cathy, the night he was born due to a spell of unseasonal cold weather. ”We were scared it would die from the cold and exposure.”
Quan said the cub will be reintroduced to his mother and father, Tiger Woods, within a month or two. ”It will depend on him and the other tigers’ behaviour.”
There are four other tigers undergoing ”re-wilding” training at Laohu Valley.
”The re-wilding programme of these highly endangered South China tigers has taken a major step forward with the birth of this cub,” said Quan. ”The tigers brought to South Africa from China have now not only proven they can hunt and fend for themselves, they have also proven that cubs can be bred in a natural environment.”
Save China’s Tigers aims to take zoo-born tigers from China and allow them to learn to hunt for themselves again and to breed. The wild offspring are then sent back to China.
The Laohu Valley reserve covers about 330 square kilometres and houses about 10 species of game. — Sapa