SPATA, Greece (AP) \u2014 The world\u2019s most endangered tigers have started a family in Greece, offering hope for a predator that is rapidly vanishing from the wild.<\/p>\n
Three 2-month-old Sumatran tiger cubs received identification microchips and their first vaccinations Tuesday at a zoo near Athens, as part of a global effort to build a backup population.<\/p>\n
The Sumatran tiger, classified as critically endangered by the United Nations and conservation groups, is found only on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, which is slightly larger than Sweden. As few as 400 are believed to remain in the wild, mainly because of aggressive forest clearing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Sumatran tiger is one of the most threatened tiger species in the world, and among felines in general,\u201d said Theodoros Babilis, head keeper of cats and monkeys at Attica Zoological Park.<\/p>\n
Zoos in Europe and elsewhere are maintaining a safety population, he said, \u201cso that in the future there can be potential reintroductions of this species into the wild.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Sumatran tiger is the smallest tiger species in the world, but males can still grow up to 2.55 meters (8.4 feet) long and weigh as much as 140 kilograms (309 pounds).<\/p>\n
Skilled swimmers and climbers, they use their dark stripes \u2014 unique to each animal, like a fingerprint \u2014 to hide in the dense forest as they hunt deer, wild pigs and smaller mammals.<\/p>\n
Even at 2 months old, Babilis said, the cubs have already developed sharp claws and teeth that make handling them a challenge.<\/p>\n
The cubs were born in early July to Toba, their mother, and Argos, their father, who has since died of cancer. The surviving cubs are expected to take names from characters in Homer\u2019s \u201cThe Odyssey,\u201d zoo staff said.<\/p>\n
Two males and one female, the cubs were restless during Tuesday\u2019s vaccination. Veterinary staff needed help to complete the procedure, ferrying the animals back and forth in carriers on electric buggies.<\/p>\n
Caring for the animals is demanding work, said Dr. Arsenoi Psaroudaki, a zoo and wildlife veterinarian.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe tigers don\u2019t like to be handled. They\u2019re very wild,\u201d she said, explaining that staff have to work quickly to limit stress.<\/p>\n
The cubs received microchips logged in a shared database, plus a vaccine similar to one commonly given to cats that protects against three diseases.<\/p>\n