Beautiful Russian sunrise: Kent's own tiger cubs get their names

Port Lympne Wild Animal Park is pleased to announce the winner of their competition to name one of their new Siberian tiger cubs. The cub will be called Zaria (pronounced Zah-ree-uh) which means ‘sunrise' in Russian and is also the goddess of beauty in Slavic mythology. The winning name was suggested by 13 year old Amy Balabil from Lympne, Kent. The two female Siberian tiger cubs made their debut to the press and the public at Port Lympne, Kent, earlier this month, and in a rare move, the park opened the naming process to suggestions from the public.

Head Big Cat Keeper Rich Barnes, who has worked with the tigers for 7 years, commented:

‘We chose the name Zaria as we felt was a beautiful name that also reflects the heritage of this iconic species. We had a fantastic response to our appeal for names and it was very interesting to see them all, although some of the less orthodox suggestions didn't quite make it into the final cut! We received over a thousand suggestions from across the country and even some from overseas and in the end it was a real challenge to decide between them. Congratulations to Amy and we look forward to seeing little Zaria grow into her name '

The other cub has been named ‘Roza' by keepers, which is the Russian word for ‘Rose'.

The tiny duo, now 8 weeks old, were born to parents Tugar and Ingrid on 27th of June. Siberian tigers are sadly endangered and it is estimated that less than 500 remain in the wild today. They are under threat from poaching and loss of prey species.

Rich Barnes commented of the cubs' birth:

‘We were fairly confident that Ingrid was pregnant. After witnessing her mating she began to put on weight and she became calmer and more lethargic. After a gestation period of about 3 months Ingrid retired alone to her shed for a short time, and sure enough, when we checked on her, we spotted the two cubs'

‘We are all really chuffed with the cubs' arrival and we are looking forward to learning their individual characters as the weeks progress. Ingrid has proven herself as a good mum in the past and we are really pleased with how she and the new arrivals are doing. The cubs are getting more confident by the day and you have a good chance of spotting them when you visit the park - The best time of day to see them is late afternoon.'

The cubs' father Tugar (or ‘Tug') was hand raised by his keepers and is a true gentle giant, weighing approximately 33 stone. A firm favourite with staff and visitors, he is part of an international breeding program to save this endangered species. Tugar's mate arrived in 2005 and is called Ingrid Alexandra after the Princess of Norway. The pair's last two cubs, females called Sinda and Bira, are now at Knowsley Safari Park.

This birth brings the numbers of Siberian tigers in The Aspinall Foundation's care up to 9, with 4 at Port Lympne and 5 at Howletts. The parks also care for Indian tigers. To find out more about visiting the park or to adopt Tugar or Ingrid from as little as £3 per month please visit http://www.aspinallfoundation.org/adopt-an-animal