First outdoor steps for West Midlands Safari Park endangered cubs
On Monday, when the door opened to the outside area, Dourga did a check to make sure it was safe, "then returned to the cubs, 'chuffing' at them to encourage them to follow her", the park said.A chuff "is a low, soft noise which tigers use as a friendly greeting, or in this case, to comfort cubs".The male took the first steps outside, followed by the sisters who "seemed delighted to see big sister, Lestari, who is almost two, watching them curiously from the other side of the fence".
Veterinary nurse Sarah Smith said: "The cubs have been showing their own characters recently and we really saw their feisty side during their examinations."We were thrilled to discover that we have two females and one male, and loved watching them venture outside."
Veterinary surgeon Lindsey Baines said the park was delighted it had three healthy tiger cubs. "The vet team have been monitoring their development carefully since they were born through the CCTV to ensure there were no issues."Their first health checks and vaccinations all went swimmingly, and they are developing as we would expect with no concerns."
The park estimated there may only be about 400 Sumatran tigers left in the wild.The Sumatran tigers at the park are part of a collaboration between European zoos, aiming to conserve endangered species. The site also partners with conservation organisation WildCats Conservation Alliance, and donates to the Kerinci Seblat Tiger Protection Project, which operates tiger protection and conservation units in Indonesia.Following a 12-week health check, Dourga and the cubs will be able to go into the wider Tiger Tropics area, where Lestari and dad Nakal are currently seen.
Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ITV News
an hour ago
- ITV News
MPs to consider reduced drink-drive limit and compulsory tests for drivers over 70
The drink-drive limit may be reduced and drivers over the age of 70 may face mandatory tests as part of an overhaul of road safety laws. Ministers are set to consider whether compulsory eye tests should be introduced every three years for drivers over the age of 70 with people to be banned from driving if they fail, according to a report in The Times. The UK is one of only three European countries to rely on self-reporting of eyesight problems that affect driving. Under the reported plans being considered by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, the drink-drive limit in England and Wales will also be reduced to come into line with Scotland. The drink-drive blood alcohol limit is currently 0.05 per cent in Scotland, compared to 0.08 per cent in England and Wales. Ministers will also consider tougher penalties for uninsured drivers and people failing to wear a seatbelt. The proposals come amid concern about the number of people being killed or seriously injured on UK roads. Last year, 1,633 people were killed and almost 28,000 seriously injured in traffic incidents, costing the NHS more than £2 billion per year. The proposal, which is due to be published and consulted on in Autumn, is also expected to allow police to prosecute for drug-driving based on roadside saliva tests rather than blood tests.
Metro
18 hours ago
- Metro
Netanyahu says Israel has 'no choice but to finish the job' in Gaza
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed Israel has no choice but to 'finish the job and complete the defeat of Hamas' in a final military takeover of Gaza. He was speaking to foreign media in Jerusalem and defending a planned military offensive, but claimed the goal wasn't to 'occupy' Gaza, but to free it. Netanyahu also slammed what he calls a 'global campaign of lies' as condemnation of the plan grows both inside and outside Israel. He explained he hopes to demilitarise Gaza, allowing the Israeli military to have 'security control' over the enclave. The prime minister also said he had directed Israel's military in recent days to 'bring in more foreign journalists' after previously banning them from entering Gaza. Netanyahu's worrying remarks come on the same day that at least 26 Palestinians were killed while seeking aid in Gaza, hospitals and witnesses said. Today, families of Israeli hostages also called for a general strike to protest against plans to expand military operations in the territory. Hospital officials said they received bodies from areas where Palestinians were seeking aid, either along food convoy routes or near privately run aid distribution points across Gaza. The dead include 10 who were killed while waiting for aid trucks close to the newly built Morag corridor, which separates the southern cities of Rafah and Khan Younis, said Nasser hospital. A further six people were killed while waiting for aid in northern Gaza near the Zikim crossing. In central Gaza, witnesses said they first heard warning shots before the fire was aimed toward crowds of aid seekers trying to reach a food distribution site. Israel's air and ground offensive has displaced most of the population and pushed the territory into a famine. Two more Palestinian children died of malnutrition-related causes on Saturday, bringing the death toll among children in Gaza to 100 since the war began. A total of 117 adults have died of malnutrition-related causes since late June, when the ministry started to count this age category, it said. The toll from hunger is not included in the ministry's death toll of 61,400 Palestinians in the war. As the war prepares to enter its third year in October, more and more people are speaking out about the brutality in Gaza. Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah called out UEFA for not saying how a footballer known as the 'Palestinian Pele' died in its tribute to him. The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) said on Wednesday that Suleiman Al-Obeid, 41, died in an Israeli attack in Gaza. In an X post, the European football association UEFA said he was 'a talent who gave hope to countless children, even in the darkest of times'. Responding to this, Egyptian star Salah said: 'Can you tell us how he died, where, and why?' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Netanyahu 'will have blood of hostages on his hands' if more are killed in Gaza takeover MORE: Nearly 500 arrested at central London protest in support of Palestine Action MORE: Israel sets October 7 deadline for Gaza City evacuation ahead of full occupation
Daily Mirror
20 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Politician suffers stroke on live TV and rushed to hospital
Serbian politician Darko Glišić suffered a stroke during a live television interview. The former minister for public investment appeared on a morning show for the Serbian television channel Pink on Tuesday (August 5). But things took a chilling turn when the dad-of-two's demeanor changed halfway through the televised interview. The politician's speech began to slow down and his eyes slowly started to close as he attempted to still speak to the hosts of the show. The clip went viral on social media after being reposted by European outlet Nexta. Thousands of viewers watched it in disbelief as his speech slurred and one side of his began to droop, both of which are common signs of a stroke, according to the NHS. The minister was then rushed to hospital at the Clinical Centre of Serbia and believed to be in a "very serious condition", according to Serbian newspaper, Informer. The outlet went on to claim that he was hospitalised in "an unconscious state" adding that "doctors are now fighting for his life". Zlatibor Lončar, another Serbian politician, has revealed that the minister had an "extremely complex operation" which "took longer than expected".
