First-time mom.
Kaitlyn, a Sumatran tiger at The Australia Zoo, appears to be looking lovingly at her caretaker as her painful labor is now hitting her in full force. This first-time mom doesn’t seem sure what is happening but knows she can look to her caregiver for comfort.
Live audience.
Kaitlyn seems fully aware and comforted by her caregiver watching her give birth. Little does she know, behind the scenes, there are even more cheerleaders watching her every move. After the birth of her first cub, the situation turned quite intense as the baby cub did not appear to be breathing.
As the cub was gasping for breath, the caretakers and staff were trying to determine whether or not they should intervene. Watching this video, you can just feel the staff’s stress.
No need to fear
Even though things looked like they were taking a turn for the worse, it did not take long for Kaitlyn’s mama instinct to kick in! She was incessantly licking the cub, hoping to stimulate his lungs into taking a breath.
The payoff.
The hard work of this Sumatran Tiger pays off as the cub finally gets a gasp of air and begins crying and making noises. Watching the staff rejoice in this small success was almost as touching as watching the tiger cub “come back to life!”
Wait, another one?
Just as Kaitlyn seems to be relaxing over this newborn, she is hit by another wave of contractions. She looks at her caregiver as if asking, “why is this happening again?”
Less stressful.
The birth of this second cub seems to go much easier for Kaitlyn. Her caretaker and the staff are completely overwhelmed with emotion when he comes out breathing, kicking, and crying!
You can see her caretaker’s emotions go from stressed and worried to relief and absolute joy when he realizes that both cubs and mama are going to be ok.
Undeniable bond.
The bond between this particular caretaker and Kaitlin the Sumatran Tiger will take your breath away. Throughout this video, you can just see and feel the love between.
But, the ultimate sign of devotion and trust is when Kaitlin allows him to pet her, literally minutes after giving birth to her first litter of cubs, which just so happen to be twins.
What makes this birth so special?
This litter of Sumatran tiger cubs was the first litter to be born at The Australia Zoo and gave them much hope for the future of Sumatran tiger breeding.
Sumatran tigers.
With less than 500 of these critically endangered tigers left in the wild, it is important to see why Kaitlyn’s giving birth to healthy twin cubs was such a victory for The Australia Zoo and the breed.
As man continues to destroy the natural habitat of these magnificent creatures, they become more visible. This added visibility leads to them being hunted because they are feared, as well as exposing them to poachers. Almost all parts of a tiger are extremely profitable for poachers. Given these facts, the number of these beautiful Sumatran tigers living in the wild continues to decrease.
Check out the sweet video below!
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