Rare Sumatran Tiger Triplet Cubs Born at London Zoo [Video]

Melati, the rare female Sumatran tiger at the ZSL London Zoo, recently gave birth to three cubs. The cubs are healthy and are being monitored via hidden cameras by the zoo keepers.

The cubs were born Feb. 3, 2014, after a 106-day pregnancy. Zookeepers haven't revealed the sex of the triplets. Six-year-old dad Jae Jae is the father of the triplets.

The zookeepers monitored the birth using remote camera technology. The cubs were born within an hour of each other- with the first one arriving at 12:59am and the third at 1:18am

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Last year, Nature World News reported the death of Melati's first cub, which was born Sept. 22 , 2013. The cub- the first one to be born at the zoo in 17 years- died after he drowned inside a pool in the tiger enclosure.

This time around Melati seems to be rather careful about her newborns as she is rarely seen venturing away from the cubs.

"We couldn't be more delighted with our new arrivals, and with how Melati is responding to her three cubs," said Teague Stubbington, Zookeeper, said in a news release. "We've been observing them 24/7, and one of us is always on duty to keep an eye on the little ones throughout the night. We've even been able to observe key milestones like their eyes opening and their tentative first steps."

Zookeepers said that the little cubs have already developed personalities. They've named one cub Trouble because it is bolder than the rest. "It was the first to start exploring its den and we've spotted it waking up its siblings when they fall asleep!," said Stubbington.

Sumatran tigers have heavy black stripes on orange coat. They are an extremely elusive subspecies of tigers. The number of Sumatran tigers in the wild is fewer than 300 individuals. According to WWF, deforestation and poaching is pushing the rare Sumatran tiger towards extinction, just like its already-extinct cousins, the Javan and Balinese tigers.

Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington D.C., welcomed two rare Sumatran tiger cubs August 2013.