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Four rare Amur tiger cubs born at Whipsnade Zoo
CCTV still of Naya in the cubbing den with her newborns.

Visitors can see the cubs exploring their new home 

Keepers at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo are celebrating the arrival of four endangered Amur tiger cubs.

Team leader Donovan Glyn said: “It’s incredible news for us to have endangered Amur tiger cubs born here at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, but to have four of them is just amazing, especially when you consider there are only 500 left in the wild.”

The tiger cubs were born to seven-year-old Naya on Saturday (23 June) following a pregnancy of 108 days.  

Zookeepers kept a close eye on the second-time mum using a hidden camera as she delivered her first cub at 7.25pm, and were thrilled to see her give birth to a further three cubs over the next five hours.   

The family are now getting to know each other in a birthing den in the centre of the Zoo’s tiger enclosure.

“Having cameras in her den is allowing us to keep a close eye on how they’re all getting on 24/7, and it’s also letting us share in the magic of them taking their first steps,” Donovan Glyn continued.

“Naya is very attentive, cleaning the cubs regularly and letting them suckle whenever they want to. She has also stayed very calm and relaxed throughout, even when dad Botzman went in to see what was going on. He seemed to take one look at the first cub and decide to give them some space!”

Listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species, Amur tigers had been hunted to near extinction. It is thanks to the conservation efforts of organisations like ZSL that there are now an estimated 500 remaining in the wild.

Visitors to the zoo this summer will be able to see the tiger cubs exploring their new home. Zookeepers will also be revealing exclusive video footage of the cubs on the ZSL Whipsnade Zoo social media channels over the coming months. 

Image (C) ZSL London

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Applications open for MMI research grants

News Story 1
 RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.

Researchers have until 11.59pm on Wednesday, 28 May 2025 to apply for a grant for research which reflects MMI's 2025 focus areas.

Only one Impact Grant was awarded last year, and so this year there are two Discovery Grants and one Impact Grants available. Each Discovery Grant is worth £5,000 and the Impact Grant is worth £15,000.

For more information or to apply, email researchgrants@rcvs.org.uk to contact the MMI team.

 

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BBC Radio 4 documentary addresses corporate fees

BBC Radio 4's File on 4 Investigates has released a documentary exploring how corporate-owned veterinary practices may be inflating bills to increase profit.

Released on 15 April, 'What's Happening To Your Vet Bills?' revealed the policies which many corporate groups have in place to increase their profits. This included targets and upgrades which veterinary teams are tasked with meeting on a regular basis.

It also features Anrich Vets, an independently-owned practice based in Wigan. Following the case of Staffordshire terrier Benjy, who is diagnosed with a tumour, the documentary shares how the team were able to offer contextualised care and advice to make the procedure as affordable as possible for his owners.

The documentary can be heard on demand on BBC iPlayer.