Rare snow tiger quintuplets debut in E China
Five snow tiger cubs have made their debut at Wild World Jinan in east China’s Shandong Province on Sunday. With timid yet curious eyes, the quintuplets greeted visitors for the first time and their cuteness has melted many people’s hearts.
The snow tiger cubs made international headlines when they were born early last month. After initial observation, staff at the zoo believed the cubs and their mother were in good health and let the mother take care of the baby tigers, as it is the best way to train the cubs to form behaviors and individuality.
The snow tiger is a rare variant of the Bengal tiger. The mutation, which occurs at a rate of about one in every 100,000, gives the tiger its distinctive color.
Compared to their fellow Bengal tigers, snow tigers’ white fur fails to act as camouflage to protect the species in the wild, thus the group is facing endangerment.