Four very rare and very fluffy white tiger cubs born just a month and a half ago have made their first public appearance at a Japanese zoo.
The cuddly cubs, which are between 11 and 16 inches long and weigh just 11lb, were met by crowds of visitors at Tobu Zoo, Tokyo, many of whom queued for over an hour to see them.
Born on March 16 to seven-year-old tigress Karla, they are the latest additions to a worldwide population of only around 250-odd white tigers.
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Cuddly but fierce: Seven-year-old white tiger Karla sits with one of her cubs, who have been revealed to the public for the first time at Tobu Zoo in Miyashiro, near Tokyo
Playtime: The cuddly cubs, which are between 11 and 16 inches long and weigh just 11lb, were met by crowds of visitors, many of whom queued for over an hour to see them
Baby steps: They are the latest additions to a worldwide population of only around 250-odd white tigers
White Bengal tigers have a rare genetic anomaly and have always been extremely rare in the wild, but their striking colour has made them popular with zoos and circuses.
Hundreds of visitors queued for the opportunity to coo over the new arrivals. Yusuke Terada, an architect, told New Tang Dynasty TV: ‘Seeing such small babies, I became very happy.
‘And when I saw three of the baby tigers playing and their mother watching over them from nearby I thought, what a nice family.’
The one female and three male cubs are still drinking their mother’s milk, but are reportedly now beginning to also show interest in the meat she prefers to eat.
Watchful eye: Karla casts a concerned look over her little ones as they crawl around their enclosure
Basking in the sun: The one female and three male cubs are still drinking their mother’s milk, but are reportedly now beginning to also show interest in the meat she prefers to eat
Cuddles: A cub nuzzles up against Karla. White Bengal tigers have a rare genetic anomaly and have always been extremely rare in the wild, but their striking colour has made them popular with zoos and circuses
Their father, Rocky, is still getting used to the idea of being a family man, and has only recently seen his offspring for the first time from his neighbouring cage.
‘He only has the memory of just Karla being there so at first he had an expression on his face like “what are these, something foreign to me is here”,’ said zookeeper Hiroki Itakura.
‘I believe that perhaps he doesn’t yet even recognize them as fellow white tigers.’
Photo opportunity: Crowds of zoo visitors hold up their cameras and phones to snap pictures of the family
Heart warming: In this earlier picture taken last month Karla picks up her cub in her mouth. The white tiger is a recessive mutant of the Bengal tiger. Although they have similar attributes, white tigers tend to be larger
Cute: Several hundred white tigers have been bred in zoos and animal parks around the world but many conservationists say these efforts should be focused on less inbred tiger varieties, which are also threatened
The white tiger is a recessive mutant of the Bengal tiger. Although they have extremely similar physical attributes to the common tiger, white tigers tend to be larger.
Several hundred have been bred in zoos and wild animal parks around the world.
Many conservationists say these efforts should be focused on less inbred tiger varieties, which are also threatened with extinction.
