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.
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