London Zoo’s newborn Sumatran tiger cub drowns in pool

The tiger cub is believed to have drowned in a pool in its enclosure


The first tiger cub born at London Zoo in 17 years has died after drowning in a pool in its enclosure.

The cub, which had not been named or sexed, was discovered by the edge of the pool on Saturday after keepers realised they couldn’t spot the baby tiger on the zoo’s CCTV.
According to the Guardian, a post-mortem conducted on Sunday revealed the cub had drowned.
It is unclear how the cub managed to get to the pool, with suggestions its mother Melati may have carried it outside.
 
 Melati gave birth to the cub last month


Curator Malcolm Fitzpatrick said: ‘We’re heartbroken by what’s happened. To go from the excitement of the birth to this in three weeks is just devastating.
‘Melati can be a very nervous animal and we didn’t want to risk putting her on edge by changing her surroundings or routines, in case she abandoned or attacked the cub. At the time we thought it was in the best interests of Melati and her cub to allow her continued access to the full enclosure as normal.
‘We would do anything to turn back the clock, and nobody could be more upset about what’s happened than the keepers who work with the tigers every day. They are devoted to those tigers and are distraught.’