Shauna Steigerwald

The Cincinnati Enquirer

The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden's nursery has three furry new residents – Malayan tiger cubs that were born on Friday.

They were separated from their mother, Cinta, because her maternal instincts didn't kick in. Vets feared that the cubs wouldn't stay warm enough without her body heat.

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“It’s not uncommon for first-time tiger moms not to know what to do," Mike Dulaney, curator of mammals and vice coordinator of the Malayan Tiger species survival plan (SSP), said in a news release. "They can be aggressive and even harm or kill the cubs. Nursery staff is keeping them warm and feeding them every three hours.”

The trio will stay in the nursery until they're weaned and no longer need constant care. They'll then move to Cat Canyon, which should happen by early spring. But they won't be reintroduced to their mother, who "would not recognize them as her own after a prolonged separation,” Dulaney said.

The cubs' very existence is significant for their species. Cinta is the second-most genetically valuable female Malayan tiger in the zoo population, and the cubs' father, Jalil, is the third-most genetically valuable male. That means the cubs may one day get a breeding recommendation from the species' SSP and therefore will be able to contribute to genetic diversity within the zoo population.

Malayan tigers are endangered; it's estimated that fewer than 500 are left in the world, according to zoo officials. Habitat destruction, habitat fragmentation and poaching are among the reasons cited for their decline.

Want to help? Zoo officials suggest using The Sustainable Shopper app to find products made with certified sustainable palm oil. Palm oil plantations are destroying rainforest habitats, including those where Malayan tigers live. Companies certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil commit to a more sustainable approach to harvesting the oil.