3 tiger cubs newest Manila Zoo attractions
By Jaymee T. GamilPhilippine Daily Inquirer
What do Pedring, Ramon and Quiel have in common?
They have the same parents and their family lives at the Manila Zoo.
The three tiger cubs are expected to be the newest attractions of the 52-year-old Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden.
Born last Aug. 4 to one of the zoo’s four tiger couples, the cubs will be shown to the public in a month’s time.
Named after typhoons that caused significant damage to Manila, the cubs are not as menacing and, in fact, are a delight to their caretakers.
“Since I started working here in 1998, these are the first tiger cubs born in the zoo,” zoo veterinarian and chief of zoological division Donald Manalastas told the Inquirer.
The three new cubs bring to 11 the number of tigers in the zoo.
Triplets
Quiel is the only female in the brood, but Pedring, the heaviest at 10.5 kilos, is the most well-behaved.
When up and about, Quiel has been described as a fierce female.
Ramon, meanwhile, is the most feisty and playful.
The cubs had been leashed to a post each and had just finished a meal of milk, chicken and carabao meat when the Inquirer came to visit.
They were weaned two weeks after they were born, and until Tuesday, had been kept in an enclosure near the zoo’s quarantine area.
Manalastas said they will be moving in with their parents—Siberian tiger Paul and Bengal tiger Love—soon. Paul and Love were donated to the zoo by private citizens from Nueva Ecija province.
Facilities
Manalastas said the zoo’s capability to provide the right environment for adding to its animal population was in keeping with its purpose of “education, conservation and research.”
He added that they have the facilities and means to take care of their new babies.
Zoo administrator Deogracias Manimbo said their animals are well-taken care of by at least five veterinarians.
The zoo has an annual budget of P14 million for food and medicines for its tenants.
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