Summary:
This is, however, the first time the zoo is hand-rearing a tiger cub.“The cub, which was weighing 1.2kg soon after its birth is now a healthy 12kg,” Yuvaraj added. The cub was also given vitamin supplements for at least 45 days.After the 45-day period ended, zoo keepers fed the cub chicken soup using a feeding bottle for a month. CHENNAI: The grunts from an enclosure in the quarantine area at Vandalur Zoo indicate that Karthik, the three-month-old tiger cub, is hungry and could do with a bite.Abandoned by his mother Uthra a mere 24 hours after birth, was rescued by zoo managers and is being handreared by them. “When the mother abandoned him, we took this as a challenge and decided to hand-rear him,” director S Yuvaraj told TOI.When the cub was born it weighed just 1.2kg, Yuvaraj said. The cub spends its day playing in the enclosure, the director said.Zoo keepers have handreared many orphaned wildlife including lion and leopard cubs, elephant calves, hyena and wild dog puppies..