WATCH: West Midlands Safari Park welcomes birth of three endangered tiger cubs

West Midlands Safari Park has welcomed the latest, and quite possibly, most adorable new-born baby animals to be born in the zoo this year.

The adorable trio, comprised of three critically endangered Sumatran tigers, arrived on Friday, January 17, to happy mum, 13-year-old Dourga, with the first cub being born at 10.52am, the second an hour later at 11.53am and the third at around 1pm. 

Dourga gave birth to the adorable cubs in an indoor pen, where the youngsters have been hard working learning to suckle, getting lots of snuggles and taking their first tentative steps.

West Midlands Safari Park announced the births on January 30, also sharing video of the first glimpses of new-borns for all too see. 

Head Keeper of Carnivores, Kasha Carter, said: "We started monitoring our female Sumatran tiger, Dourga, closely after we noticed her belly had grown larger a couple of weeks ago, nearing a predicted due date we were preparing for. 

"She started to show nesting behaviour and on Friday morning we spotted more of a change. We gave her some space while she went into the cubbing den we had set up for her, and watched excitedly on the CCTV, as she successfully gave birth to three tiny cubs!

“Dourga has been doing a fantastic job at nursing and all three cubs have been suckling and seem to be very lively from what we can see so far! She is a very caring mother."

The new births mark an important step for the big cat breed, as figures reveal that there may be fewer than 4,000 tigers left in the wild, with only around 400 of those being Sumatran tigers. 

Ms Carter added: "This is such an amazing moment for the carnivore team and I to witness and be a part of, and we are proud to be playing our part in a successful conservation programme for an animal that is ‘critically endangered’ in the wild. 

"We can't wait to see what the future holds for them."

The Sumatran tigers that live at the West Midlands Safar Park are part of an EEP, (EAZA Ex-Situe Programme), which is a collaborative effort between European zoos, aimed at conserving endangered species. 

The cubs will now be left to be nurtured by their mother until they eight weeks old, when a quick health check will take place, the sex of the trio revealed and adorable names chosen.

To keep up to date on the cubs, visit the West Midlands Safari Park website.