The Fort Worth Zoo has two new residents it had kept out of view all summer. The zoo announced Friday that a pair of Sumatran tiger cubs, both female, were born July 1, the first of their subspecies ever born there.
The sisters are named Barani and Malu. Their mother, Ndari, was giving birth for the first time; their father is Rakan.
Two personalities
Keepers chose names to fit how each cub behaves, according to the zoo's announcement as reported by several outlets. Barani, the smaller of the two, has a name meaning "brave," and she is the one who starts the play-fights. Malu's name means "reserved" or shy, and she tends to wander off on her own and nap alone in an adjoining barn stall.
Now about three months old, the cubs weigh roughly 18 and 20 pounds and measure more than 2 feet long. They have learned to run, jump and climb, have started eating some meat while still nursing, and have had their first introductions to water.
