APPLE VALLEY, Minn. – Come August the three rare Siberian tiger cubs born May 3 at the Minnesota Zoo will be receiving visitors. The cubs, born to mother Sundari, represent a forward step supporting the small global population of Siberian tigers, said chief zookeeper John Frawley. He said that Sundari and her cubs are bonding well. Four cubs were born. One didn’t survive. That’s common with a large litter, Frawley said. The father Putin, a zoo favorite, died in March of a heart problem. He was 12. Worldwide the Siberian tiger population in the wild is only about 500. The new Minnesota cubs have a playmate, a 16-month-old Siberian tiger, acquired in April from Cleveland zoo.
