TWIN CUBS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 562, 15 January 1929, Page 14

TWIN CUBS

Arrivals at Zoo MRS. TIGER’S PRIDE When keepers rushed to the hippopotamus pond on Saturday morning and spread through the Auckland Zoological Park certain glad tidings, the aristocratic occupants of the cages on the hill were perturbed. This hippo child was creating far too much interest. People were flocking to the muddy enclosure, and only the stragglers bothered to gaze upon the lions and tigers, pumas and leopards. On Sunday the state of affairs had become worse. Crowds called upon happy Mr. and Mrs. Hippo and admired their frisky litle offspring. A few casual folk took the trouble to walk to the big cages and glance at the occupants. It was extremely annoying, and the giant cats felt more than a little hurt. The only exception was Mr. Tiger. After the visitors had departed he took his Sunday evening stroll, displaying an unusal degree of restless pleasure. The events of the day had not bothered him in the slightest. His mate was nowhere to be seen. Yesterday the new and pleasant announcement was made. The stork had made another trip, this time with a little tiger family. At first it was thought that only one cub had been born, but later in the day a twin was discovered, whimpering and crawling beside it® mother in the darkness of her den. Surely the prestige of the cat tribe had been upheld! During the afternoon the popularity of the little hippo was great, but the cages came in for their share, and there were many expressions of regret that the cubs could not be seen. The tigress lias been placed in a special cage, the entrance of which she guards with the terrible ferocity of a watching mother. She snarls at sightseers and keeps her twins well hidden. A splendid specimen of the Bengal tiger, she has been a resident of the zoo for years. Her mate took the place of a late lamented animal murdered by her after brief acquaintance. He is of a different stamp and. prior to his arrival, gave promise of being a ferocious beast. At the zoo, however, he calmed down and was introduced to the widowed female by the gradual opening of trapdoors which separated them.