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Year of the tiger: Arkansas zoo announces birth of three cubs

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — According to the Chinese zodiac, 2022 is the Year of the Tiger. An Arkansas zoo celebrated that in a big way, announcing the birth of three tiger cubs.

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In a news release issued Saturday, the Little Rock Zoo announced the birth of the three Malayan tiger cubs to Asmara, an 8-year-old tiger born at the zoo. Asmara gave birth in an indoor den created by zoo staff members, and she will tend to her cubs in that enclosure, KARK-TV reported.

Guests can still see Jaya, the father of the cubs, in the tiger habitat, the zoo said in its release.

Malayan tigers are an endangered species, with only about 200 estimated to be living in the wild, zoo officials said. Only 52 of the large cats are living in zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, Malaysia had as many as 3,000 tigers, which are native to the country, during the 1950s. The organization estimates that there are fewer than 150 in the country in 2022.

“The birth of these cubs is significant toward the conservation of this beautiful animal,” the zoo said in its news release.