German zoo euthanises 3-day-old tiger cubs, sparking both outcry and support

Straits Times

14 hours ago

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A German zoo's move to euthanised three tiger cubs after they were rejected by their mother drew mixed reactions from people.
Leipzig Zoo in eastern Germany announced on Aug 10 on its social media accounts that the three-day-old Amur tiger cubs, weakened after they did not receive milk or maternal care, were put down to 'spare them further suffering'.
It said hand-rearing the cubs was 'out of the question', as it would conflict with principles of species-appropriate wildlife management.
'The rearing of offspring by the mother (and) the offspring learning from its mother are essential for natural behaviour without (any) imprinting,' it added.
The cubs were born to Yuska, a first-time mother, on the evening of Aug 6.
The first few hours after the birth were promising, the zoo said, as Yushka instinctively cared for the babies.
But by the afternoon of Aug 7, her interest had waned.
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'As an inexperienced mother, she unfortunately abandoned the rearing process – a behaviour that can occur in first-time mothers in the animal kingdom,' the zoo said.
Over the next two days, the cubs grew weak.
Dr Andreas Bernhard, the zoo's veterinarian, told German press agency dpa that the cubs failed to show any active behaviour, an indication that they were not receiving milk or maternal care.
As such, the zoo said it had no choice but to euthanise them to spare them further suffering.
Despite the explanation, the zoo's decision sparked an outcry.
'You can't be serious,' wrote a netizen on Leipzig Zoo's Instagram account, while another decried the cruelty.
'Stop breeding (the tiger) if you don't want to take responsibility for the offspring… that's cruel!,' the netizen with the handle paravain9 said.
On the zoo's Facebook page, Mr Dalino Equs said: 'Won't hand-rearing have been an option for this endangered animal species? Putting the three cubs to sleep is sad. We humans interfere with nature so often that perhaps it would have been possible to let them live.'
Amur tigers, also known as Siberian tigers, are the largest cat species in the world and are classified as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Only around 500 of them remain in the wild – in north-east China, the Russian Far East, and possibly North Korea.
However, there were some who supported the zoo's move.
'I feel sorry for you guys. But nature is sometimes cruel. Hats off for your honesty. Fingers crossed it turns out good next time,' said Mr Ricarda Kissgen on Facebook.
Another, with the handle @mondschattenelfe_sara on Instagram, expressed condolences and noted the mother's inexperience is not to blame.
'That's just how it is in the animal kingdom. I hope she learns from this and can then take better care of her next cubs! Much comfort and strength to the keepers. I know a decision like this is never easy.'
The zoo said it intends to continue the Amur tiger breeding programme with Yushka.