Posted by on 20th July, 2016.
As our young ones enter this world, their path has already been chosen by their elders. It is not very different for animals. They are bound to give in to their basic nature and become prey or a hunter. Similarly, as baby tigers or cubs step into this world, it is pre- decided that they have to become hunters.
Tiger cubs are born after a gestation period of 3.5 months. They are born blind and hence, completely depend on their mother. Even though they can open their eyes after 6 – 12 days, they get their full vision only after a few weeks. A new born cub weighs between 785 to 1,610 grams. These cubs are born in a litter of 3 to 7 cubs at a time. However, generally only 2 survive because it is hard for the mother to get ample food for all the cubs.
The tigress is very protective of her cubs, she keeps them hidden, protects them from any danger and the moment she feels that the area is threatened, she will move her cubs to another resting place. She showers her motherly love on them abundantly till they become independent and can feed themselves. A tigress leaves her cubs only to drink or hunt in the first few months. When the cubs become 2 months old, they start following their mother out of the den. They never participate in the hunt at this stage. They only observe and learn from their mother. They start playing with their siblings at 4 months and spend most of their time doing so. Playing helps the cubs develop useful skills like stalking, pouncing, climbing and swatting.
The tigress spends these two years nursing her cubs, playing with them and making them independent to protect and feed themselves. After this gap of 24 months, she is once again ready to conceive and play the significant role of being a mother.