Wildlife: Sumatran tigers cool off with first swimming lesson
- Published
It's been a hot week for much of the UK and who wouldn't like a dip in the pool to cool off? Well, take a look at endangered tiger cubs Zac and Crispin having a splashing time, practising their swimming skills for the very first time.
The cubs, who will turn one later this month, cooled off in the newly filled pond, playing with giant floating balls under the watchful gaze of parents Gaysha and Asim.
London Zoo's tiger keeper John Ho said: “The pond was filled with leaves and bark chip over the cooler winter months, but now that summer has arrived we've transformed it back to a swimming pond for the cubs to learn to swim." Unlike most felines, tigers love water and make excellent swimmers thanks to their webbed paws.
Tigers are crepuscular animals, which means they’re most active at dawn and dusk. These Sumatran tigers are part of a global breeding programme for the species, designed to protect and boost their numbers.
Sumatran tigers are the world’s rarest tiger, with only 300 individuals estimated to be left in the wild. These beautiful big cats are threatened by illegal hunting, as well as habitat destruction in their native Indonesia.