Cincinnati Zoo cares for rare cubs when mom doesn't show interest

CINCINNATI (WKRC) - Cincinnati Zoo staff members are taking care of three Malayan tiger cubs after their mom's maternal insticts failed to kick in.

The cubs were born on Friday, February 3. They were taken to the nursery when mom, Cinta, didn't care for them. They feared the cubs' body temperatures would dip too low without mom keeping them warm. Zoo staff are keeping them warm and feeding them every three hours.

The cubs will eventually move to Cat Canyon when they can care for themselves. Visitors may seen them as soon as early spring.

While they will grow up together, they will not be introduced to Cinta. After a long separation she wouldn't even recognize them as her own, said the zoo. “It’s not uncommon for first-time tiger moms not to know what to do. They can be aggressive and even harm or kill the cubs," said Mike Dulaney, curator of mammals and vice coordinator of the Malayan Tiger SSP.

Malayan tigers are endangered. There are fewer than 500 left in the world.