3 Sumatran tiger cubs make first public appearance

So cuuuute!

Three Sumatran tiger cubs, born in February in London Zoo, have made their first public appearance.

As the three cubs took their first careful steps into their new enclosure, their mother Melati watched on.Zoo employee Tracey said: "I think they were a bit overwhelmed really as it's such a big space."Staff there aren't yet sure whether the cubs are males or females but they're pleased with how they coped with their first venture outside.

From CBBC newsround

The Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) is a rare tiger subspecies that inhabits the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It was classified as critically endangered by IUCN in 2008 as the population was estimated at 441 to 679 individuals, with no subpopulation larger than 50 individuals and a declining trend.

The Sumatran tiger is the only surviving member of the Sunda Islands group of tigers that included the now extinct Bali tiger and Javan tiger.Sequences from complete mitochondrial genes of 34 tigers support the hypothesis that Sumatran tigers are diagnostically distinct from mainland populations.

Sumatran tigers persist in isolated populations across Sumatra. They occupy a wide array of habitats, ranging from 0 m above sea level in the coastal lowland forest of Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park on the southeastern tip of Lampung Province to 3,200 m (10,500 ft) in mountain forests of Gunung Leuser National Park in Aceh Province. They have been repeatedly photographed at 2,600 m (8,500 ft) in a rugged region of northern Sumatra, and are present in 27 habitat patches larger than 250 km² (97 sq mi).

In 1978, the Sumatran tiger population was estimated at 1000 individuals, based on responses to a questionnaire survey.In 1985, a total of 26 protected areas across Sumatra containing approximately 800 tigers were identified. In 1992, it was estimated that 400–500 tigers lived in five national parks and 2 protected areas.At the time, the largest population was reported from the Gunung Leuser National Park as comprising 110 to 180 individuals.However, a more recent study shows that the Kerinci Seblat National Park in central Sumatra has the highest population of tigers on the island, estimated to be at 165–190 individuals. The park also was shown to have the highest tiger occupancy rate of the protected areas, with 83% of the park showing signs of tigers.  In fact, there are more tigers in the Kerinci Seblat National Park than in all of Nepal, and more than in China, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam combined. 

in Wikipedia