The baby tigers are being nursed by the zookeepers of the park
The park celebrates this Saturday the “one month old” of Neu and Pluja
The year starts with new members in the family of tigers of Bengal in Terra Natura Benidorm. During the intense cold of January, the 20st, there were two females of this species that have been baptized as Neu and Pluja, in reference to the extreme meteorological conditions that were registered the night of the birth.
The baby tigers are being nursed and monitored by the team of Terra Natura Benidorm in the area of veterinary​​, because the zookeepers found out after birth that the mother had rejected them and the intense cold was putting in danger the survival of the tigers. In the absence of tiger milk, they are fed manually with a mixture of dog and cat formula milk enriched with other vitamin and oils, reproducing closely the protein and fat composition of milk Maternal tiger.
The parents of Neu and Pluja, named Shana and Rajiv, arrived to Terra Natura Benidorm together with their three male cubs from France in November 2015, in a cession through the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA). The veterinarians have estimated that the sexual intercourse between the pair took place in early November 2016 because pregnancies in this species have a duration of approximately 16 weeks.
“Like Shana has not emancipated her babies tiger from the previous litter, it is unusual for the female to let the male mate with her, so this birth was not expected in the park,” explained the zookeepers. However, labor took place normally in the interior facilities during one of the coldest nights of winter, on January the 20st. In the morning, the team of Terra Natura Benidorm found the mother next to the babies and immediately notified the veterinarian, who decided to take part after observing the mother’s elusive behavior with the babies.
The Bengal tiger is a protected species of Asian feline, according to the international agreement CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), which is suffering pressure due to poaching, illegal trafficking of skins and specimens, and the brutal destruction of the forests in Southeast Asia, where it originated. Now, there are less than 2,500 tigers in the wild due to these causes, also the death rate of young tigers is extremely high: less than half of them survive two years of life because of human threat or because they do not get enough food from their mother, they also become in prey of other animals that are in the nature.
Although Neu and Pluja are very similar, they have different character and size. While Neu is calmer and fatter; Pluja spends the day roaring and weighs half a kilo less than her sister. During their first four weeks of life the activity is similar to human babies and consists basically of eating and sleeping.
OFFICIAL PRESENTATION AND CELEBRATION OF THE “ONE MONTH OLD”
Friday, February 17th. 11.30 p.m.
Presentation of the babies tigers to the media in the veterinary clinic of Terra Natura Benidorm.
Saturday, February 18th. 13.00 p.m.
Presentation of the two babies tigers to the visitors and act of sponsorship of the pups by Marta Álvarez, contestant of the second edition of Masterchef Junior, image of ‘Mamá me lo todo’, company dedicated to make toys for Encourage healthy eating habits in children. Bimbo will collaborate offering “Tigretón” to the visitors, making a friendly wink towards the tiger cubs.