May 2
This morning at 6:30, we saw that Soyono had given birth to three cubs! A quick look showed that all the cubs appeared healthy and were moving, so we left her alone with her babies in peace and quiet.
A little background
In January, we had been waiting for Soyono to come into estrus so that we could put her with Rokan to breed. We already had the approval from the Species Survival Plan—the American Zoo and Aquarium Association's cooperative breeding and conservation program—for these two tigers to produce another litter of cubs. On September 18, 2001, Soyono gave birth to their first litter—a single cub named Berani.
On January 17, 2004, Soyono was very relaxed and friendly to the keepers, which is a sign of estrus for her. That afternoon, when she was outside in the yard and Rokan was inside, he was calling to her constantly and very loudly, which is another sign, and we thought that the time might be right. The next morning she was greeting Rokan through the mesh door that separates them, and rolling around in a seductive manner. We knew that the time had come. The honeymoon lasted for a week, and the countdown began!
The gestation period for tigers is about 100 days, but Soyono had some mammary development by April 10 so, to be on the safe side, we kept Soyono inside starting April 19. We didn't want to risk her having the cubs in the yard where we couldn't monitor them or their mother in case of trouble.
Someone from the Zoo's IT team set up a monitor back by the cubbing dens so we could keep an eye on Soy (her nickname) without disturbing her. We also bought her a boom box so she could have some music, which many animals find soothing. Soyono seems to prefer bluegrass and classic country, particularly Ralph Stanley and Hank Williams, though she also listens to Louis Armstrong and Ray Charles.
