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Rome zoo welcomes birth of rare Sumatran tiger

Tiger cub is not yet visible to the public.

Rome's Bioparco zoo has announced the birth of a female Sumatran tiger, a critically endangered species native to the tropical forests of the Indonesian island.

The tiger cub, born to mother Tila and father Kasih, is described by the Bioparco as being in good health and "very lively" but is not visible to the public yet.

The Bioparco says the birth of the animal is of great significance as it is estimated that there are fewer than 600 Sumatran tigers left living in the wild.

The cub's mother Tila was born in 2011 at Chester Zoo in England and came to Rome from Heidelberg Zoo in Germany, while the father Kasih was born in 2014 at Beauval Zoo in France.

The Sumatran tiger, a tiger subspecies, is at risk of extinction due to poaching, habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict.

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