Calgary Zoo staff are keeping a close eye on a surprise addition in the tiger enclosure.
A Siberian tiger name Katja gave birth Monday night but zookeepers didn't even know she was expecting.
"In a tiger who weighs over 300 pounds, and delivers two cubs that each weight less than two pounds, there's not really a change in size. She's got a long fur coat, and she showed no signs, no changes in behaviour, no changes in appetite," says Dr. Sandi Black, a senior veterinarian at the zoo.
The birth also came as a surprise because Baikal, the male tiger, was having trouble mating due to arthritis in his hips. He had surgery in May and obviously it helped.
The two cubs were born full-term, although Black says they were small.
Unfortunately, one of the cubs didn't survive. The zoo says Katja may have been too aggressive moving it which could have lead to the death.
The surviving female cub is stable and in intensive care, at the Animal Health Centre, where she is receiving antibiotics and round-the-clock care.
In consultation with international experts, the zoo has decided to hand-raise the surviving cub. They believe this option, as opposed to returning her to Katja, will increase her chances of survival.
