Fota welcomes host of new cubs
Two Sumatran tiger cubs have been born in Fota Wildlife Park, the first time two cubs have been born in a single litter at the park.
The two cubs, who are yet to be named, were born on 16 June to mother Jambi and father Batak.
Fota has also announced the arriver of three Asian lion cubs, born on 1 July to mother Arya and father Yali. This is nine year old Arya’s second litter with Yali, who is ten years old.
Both Sumatran tigers and Asian lions are critically endangered, and face ongoing threats in the wild, including habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, and poaching.
The latest arrivals add to a significant period of new british at Fota, which has also recently welcomed a critically endangered Nubian giraffe calf, two European bison calves, a François’ langur infant, and six meerkat pups.
The park said that the latest births demonstrate Fota Wildlife Park’s ongoing commitment to global conservation programmes and its significant role in supporting efforts to raise awareness, educate and protect some of the world’s most endangered species.
John Leahy, Lead Ranger at Fota, said: “I have to pinch myself when I think about the fact that we’re announcing both Sumatran tiger and Asian lion cubs this summer.
“The cubs are currently getting the developmental space they need with their respective mothers, so they are not on public view as yet,” he said.
He said that both births went smoothly, and that both sets of cubs are doing very well.
Jambi, the tigress, was born in Tiergarten Heidelberg in Berlin. She moved to Fota in 2023 as part of an Ex-situ Endangered Species Breeding Programme (EEP).
Lioness Arya was born in Fota in 2017, one of the first ever litter of Asian lion cubs at the park. She move to Helsinki zoo, but failed to settle there and so was moved back to Fota where she finally settled very well, and formed a strong bond with Yali.
To maintain genetic diversity within the EEPs, animals are moved between zoological organisations to breed with new mates.
Fota Wildlife Park participates successfully in many EEPs in cooperation with European and UK zoos and wildlife parks for species such as red panda, drill monkeys, black-and-white ruffed lemurs.