Vets assess Dmitri, Makari and Czar eight weeks after their birth
Close-up footage of endangered Amur tiger cubs receiving their first health check has been released by keepers at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo.
The footage shows the Zoo’s vet team performing the health checks on male tiger cubs Dmitri, Makari and Czar. With mum and dad safely in their den, the team enter the enclosure to check over the cubs and administer routine vaccinations.
“This was such a wonderful moment for the keepers here at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, not only having the incredible privilege of seeing these beautiful cubs up close, but helping our vets assess Dmitri, Makari and Czar, who are all doing really well,” said team leader Donovan Glyn.
“The cubs weighed in at about 8kg (17lb), and it’s amazing to see how much they’ve grown in the couple of months since they were born.
“You do have to be very mindful of that when you’re going in to give them vaccinations – they’re not quite like little kittens anymore - but we’re an experienced team that has the cubs’ welfare as our number one priority, so we were able to keep them calm and content throughout the process.”
The three tiger cubs were born to seven-year-old mum Naya and dad Botzman in June. Sadly vets had to euthanise a fourth tiger cub due to poor health.
Amur tigers are classified as Endangered by the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species. But thanks to conservation efforts by organisations like ZSL, there are now estimated to be some 500 Amur tigers in the wild - 10 times the amount estimated to exist in the 1940s.
Image (C) ZSL Whipsnade Zoo.
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
