The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo's endangered Sumatran tigress has eaten her 2 cubs
The 10-year-old tiger named Chana had a history of not taking care of her cubs. Of the mother's three previous litters, only one cub survived and was hand-raised by zoo staff. But this litter appeared to have a good start with Chana, who allowed the two cubs (the third died at birth) to feed from her. But last week, when the cubs were 6 weeks old, zoo officials who went in to weigh the newborns found signs that Chana had eaten them.
The Sumatran tiger is listed as a critically endangered species and officials say the phenomenon of big cats ceasing to care for their young and eating them is common in nature.
A free daily email with the day’s biggest news and analysis – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Lauren Hansen produces The Week’s podcasts and videos and edits the photo blog, Captured. She also manages the production of the magazine's iPad app. A graduate of Kenyon College and Northwestern University, she previously worked at the BBC and Frontline. She knows a thing or two about pretty pictures and cute puppies, both of which she tweets about @mylaurenhansen.