Tiger cubs enjoy 'roarsome'1st birthday

It was a tiger-iffic first birthday for Longleat's rare Amur cubs with their keepers preparing a special treat for the occasion at the Wiltshire safari park.

- Daniel Clark

The four tigers, who are now two-thirds of the weight and size of mum, Yana, were born on May 9 last year and are the second litter for mum and dad Red.

After a public vote, they were named Heidi, Seeka, Dora-Boo and Ginger Biscuit and as girls, they can stay with mum for up to another year to 18 months, giving Longleat the biggest family of Amur tigers to be seen on Safari in the UK.

Their birth was important for the international breeding programme as the species is currently listed as endangered with only around 450 of the species in the world. At the time, their arrival equated to over 25 per cent of births across Europe in the previous two years.

A frozen meat extract and ostrich egg cake with sardines as candles proved a popular treat for the four. It was also devoured in minutes.