BIRTH OF BAEKDUSAN MOUNTAIN TIGER

[Anchor Lead]

Baekdusan Mountain tigers, commonly known as Siberian tigers, and Korean native wolves are endangered species. So it’s very rare to see their offsprings up close. Recently, though, a zoo in Daejeon celebrated the birth of seven babies from four rare species.

[Pkg]

A tiger cub named Miryeong, born only 50 days ago. It's busy playing. The eyes sparkle with curiosity. It is the first endangered Siberian tiger born in two years. Being her first time, Miryeong’s mother had some difficulty giving birth to her cub. But thanks to the zookeepers’ tender loving care, Miryeong’s weight increased from 1.2 kilograms to seven in just over two months.

[Soundbite] Moon Jin-ho(Daejeon O-World Zookeeper) : "A first-time mother cannot take care of her babies well because she lacks maternal instincts. So we started raising them instead."

A lion cub named “Hangang” born just one month prior to Miryeog, and“Lula”the camel are growing up strong and healthy, feeding on nutritious meat and formula.

[Soundbite] Lee Seul-ah(Daejeon Resident) : "We came here because my child wanted to see animals. It’s great that we got to see the little ones."

Indigenous wolves pups were born this year just like the previous year. This time, the 4 wolf pups are being raised naturally among adult wolves instead of zookeepers.

[Soundbite] Lee Gwan-jong(Head, Animal Management Team, Daejeon O-World) : "The pups are naturally learning the wolves’ habits from their mother."

These new members of the zoo were born with everyone’s blessing. The little ones are providing much needed warmth and consolation to Koreans amid the pandemic.