TIGER CUBS PRACTICE PROWLING, POUNCING AT SAN DIEGO ZOO

Two tiger cubs pounced on their mom and wrestled with each other this morning at the San Diego Zoo. The Malayan tigers, Connor and Christopher, stick fairly close to their mother, Mek, but Connor has proved to be the most independent of the two cubs and often leads explorations, waiting for Connor to catch up.

     "Connor and Christopher are really different - Connor from day one has always been the most bold," said Rochelle Willison, senior keeper, San Diego Zoo. "Connor marches out on exhibit first and comes in first for training sessions. Connor is a little bit more advanced and eats more than his brother. Whereas Christopher hangs back a little and he's a little quieter."

     The cubs are the third litter for their mother and are the fourth and fifth cubs fathered by Paka at the Zoo. Born on April 2, 2011, the duo has been venturing onto exhibit from 9 a.m. to noon since mid-July. The cubs are named after the sons of a donor to San Diego Zoo Global.

     While still nursing, the cubs have started eating small amounts of carnivore diet from animal care staff.  Keepers are also watching the mother's diet because she is allowing the young cubs to take some of her food. As Connor and Christopher get older, Mek will become less tolerant of this. The cubs are expected to nurse for another four weeks.

     Like all tiger species, Malayan tigers are endangered. Less than 400 Malayan tigers remain the wild. For many years, tigers have been hunted for their fur and other body parts, some of which are used in native medicines. Several traditional medicines use tiger parts as a cure for all kinds of illnesses, from pimples to toothaches. These "cures" have never been proven to be effective. Tigers also suffer from habitat loss. When people move into areas where tigers live, tigers are forced into smaller and smaller areas where there may not be enough food for the big cats to survive.