As London warms up for summer, it is not just humans heading for the paddling pool. Two tiger cubs at ZSL London Zoo recently practised their swimming skills for the first time.
Siblings Zac and Crispin, both of the endangered Sumatran variety, were watched by their parents Gaysha and Asim as they played with floating balls in the water at the zoo.
The cubs will turn one later this month and can be seen by animal lovers as the centre opens its summer evening events for the season.
London Zoo tiger keeper John Ho said: “The pond was filled with leaves and barkchip over the cooler winter months, but now that summer has arrived we’ve transformed it back to a swimming pond for the cubs to learn to swim.
“Unlike most felines, tigers love water and make excellent swimmers thanks to their webbed paws.
“It’s been amazing to see Crispin and Zac practising their swimming skills for the first time – something that visitors to our first Zoo Nights evening this Friday should be able to spot too, as we reckon the cubs will make the most of the expected heatwave!”
Tigers are crepuscular, which means they’re most active at dawn and dusk. Visitors to the Zoo Nights events, which start on Friday, will be able to see a different side to the tiger family.
The adult-only events also feature talks and lawn games, with all proceeds supporting ZSL’s science and conservation work across the globe.
Sumatran tigers are the world’s rarest subspecies of the big cat, with only 300 estimated to be left in the wild.
“These beautiful big cats are unfortunately threatened by illegal hunting, as well as habitat destruction in their native Indonesia,” Mr Ho said.
He added: “The Sumatran tigers at London Zoo are part of an important global breeding programme for the species, designed to protect and boost their numbers, while the Zoological Society of London, the international conservation charity behind London Zoo, works to protect tigers and other threatened species.”
Zoo Nights will be held every Friday between June 9 and July 28. Visit www.londonzoo.org
