KEY POINTS:
Three rare white tiger cubs delighted visitors at the Buenos Aires zoo yesterday, tumbling in the grass of their enclosure in their first public appearance since being born late last year.
Zookeepers said the birth of the blue-eyed Bengal tiger triplets - two females and one male - was an important contribution to saving the animals from extinction.
"There are only about 250 animals of this variety in captivity so every birth in the zoo contributes to saving this type of Bengal tiger," chief veterinarian Miguel Rivolta said.
The zoo's breeding record showed the tigers had exactly the right environment and diet, which includes 10kg of mutton twice a week as well as fresh poultry.
White tiger mother Bety gave birth to the cubs on December 23.
White tigers are a genetic variation of the better-known orange Bengal tigers.
Between 5000 and 7000 tigers live in the wild, down from 100,000 at the start of the 20th century. Poaching and deforestation have hit their numbers.
- REUTERS
