JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After months of anticipation from visitors, three new tiger cubs will make their public debut Thursday at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens.
Mina, Machli and Beppy have been spending the last four months mostly behind the scenes so they could bond with their mother, Cinta.
Mina had a scary moment when she broke one of her legs while playing with her siblings.
At her most recent wellness check last week, the animal care team and veterinarians assessed how her leg was healing after surgery. They said she is doing well.
So far, visitors have only been able to watch Mina and the other Malayan tiger cubs on the zoo’s live camera them as they ate, slept and cuddled with their mom.
For the last two weeks, the cubs have been testing out the award-winning tiger habitat’s back trail, where visitors could catch glimpses of them.
But on Thursday, they are graduating to the main exhibit.
The zoo’s last big cub debut was made in July by Jaguar “Banks” last summer. He’s now 10 months old — and has grown!
Banks was the first Jaguar cub born at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens in the last 10 years.
Zoo staff warned visitors that it will take some time for the cubs to adjust to their new environment here, so it’s uncertain how much of them visitors will see early on.
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