Minnesota Zoo welcomes Amur tiger cub

APPLE VALLEY, Minn. (KMSP) - The Minnesota Zoo announced the birth of an endangered Amur tiger cub on April 26.

The female cub is the first offspring for her mother Sundari, who was born at the zoo in 2012. Sundari was born to Angara who is currently at the Como Zoo in St. Paul.

Since its opening in 1978, the Minnesota Zoo has welcomed more than 40 Amur tiger cubs. Amur tigers are top predators in far eastern Asia. The tiger's thick fur protects it against the extreme cold and icy winds of winter, while its stripes help render it invisible to prey.

Amur tigers are carnivores, eating mostly large mammals such as deer and wild boar. Currently, poaching is the primary threat to the tiger's survival.

Coordinated by Minnesota Zoo staff since its initiation in 2012, the Tiger SSP’s Tiger Conservation Campaign has raised more than $750,000 for on-the-ground projects that are helping save wild tigers. The Campaign aims to reach $1 million in support of tiger conservation by the end of 2017.