Everland Achieves Natural Breeding of 5 Endangered Korean Tigers...A Rare Global Case

3 Female and 2 Male Born on June 27
Photos Released Ahead of Gwangbokjeol Marking 50 Days Since Birth

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyewon] Samsung C&T Resort Division announced on the 12th that five first-class internationally endangered Korean tigers born through natural breeding at Everland Zoo on June 27 are growing up healthily.

The baby tigers consist of three females and two males. Everland released photos on this day ahead of Liberation Day, when they reach 50 days old.

Korean tigers are generally known to give birth to only 2 to 3 cubs at a time, so the birth of five siblings at once is an extremely rare case worldwide.

With only about 1,000 Korean tigers left worldwide, they are designated as a rare species under CITES Appendix I, an international wildlife protection agreement, making the birth of these five baby Korean tigers especially significant.

The five newborn Korean tiger siblings are younger siblings of the SNS popular stars Taebeom and Mugungi, born as the second litter between mother Geongon (born 2016) and father Taeho (born 2016).

Born weighing about 1kg each, the baby Korean tigers have rapidly grown to 5-6kg in about 40 days and have recently started eating some weaning food made by grinding meat.

Everland zookeeper Kim Suwon said, "Mother Geongon, drawing on her experience raising Taebeom and Mugungi, carefully takes care of the five siblings, feeding separately those cubs who are pushed aside and not getting enough breast milk."

Everland is considering a public unveiling in early October, around the 100th day after birth. The growth process of the baby tigers will be sequentially shared through Everland’s YouTube and other SNS channels.

Everland Zoo has been certified as an ex-situ conservation institution by the Ministry of Environment since 2003 and continues to make efforts to cultivate expertise in animal management and breeding know-how for species conservation.

In particular, since 2018, it has participated in the "Tumen River Korean Tiger Ecological Corridor Project" promoted by the Korea Tiger Conservation Fund to prevent Korean tigers in the Tumen River area from becoming isolated and extinct due to railroads and roads, supporting the securing of a wide ecological space connecting Baekdusan.

Additionally, in 2019, Everland became the first Asian zoo to obtain accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) in the United States and is striving to create an ecological zoo where both people and animals are happy.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.