Cuteness in Copenhagen

14.7.2025 – Photos by Gerti Bichel

Gerti has visited the Copenhagen Zoo and met many sweet animals there. In this article you will meet the cute tiger baby and a sweet Eastern guoll.

This is the story of the baby illustrated with Gerti’s photos.

Veterinarians and zookeepers alike had given up hope. The male and female tigers had been living together in the outdoor enclosure since 2022, when the male arrived at the ZOO. Back then, the expectation was that cubs would soon appear.

The mother was born in the Copenhagen Zoo on the 18th of April 2013. The father was born in 2013 in France.

But nothing happened.

And when the female was 11 years old, which is old in tiger years. The tiger team thought that the race was over.

However, a mating was spotted in late October. So when the female tiger suddenly changed her behaviour exactly 3.5 months later, which is the gestation period for a tiger, they could still allow hope to return.

-“We had trained her for several weeks to lie down and get a pregnancy scan, as we had a feeling that there might be cubs. However, it’s very difficult to see on a predator as the foetus is very small. But almost from one moment to the next, she didn’t want to play along and do what we had practised. We know the animals very well, so we were extra attentive,” says Zaco Sonne, zookeeper in the predator department.

The next morning, the keepers could hear some unusual noises coming from inside the female tiger.

In practical terms, the indoor part of the tiger enclosure is organised so that the male and female tigers live separately. They each have a sort of “private den” at the back of the enclosure where they can retreat. It was from inside the den that you could hear little cries.

-“We zookeepers don’t go into the tigers and only have access to their enclosure if the animals are outside,” says Zaco Sonne and continues:

– “That’s why we didn’t get to see what was happening inside. A tiger cub weighs only 700 grams and is completely helpless when it is born. So a lot can happen in the first few days if it’s not strong enough or the mother isn’t able to take care of it. Of course, we also wanted to give the mother and cub some time to get used to each other,” says the zookeeper, who has worked with predators for the past 24 years.

It took a few days before the predator team was able to lure the mother away from the den for a brief moment.

-“There were actually two cubs hiding in the straw. However, one turned out to have been born with a severe cleft palate and had died,” says Zaco Sonne.

A short health check could be performed on the healthy cub. Fortunately, it showed that the cub was healthy and thriving. It currently weighs around 2.5 kilos and can carefully move around a little.

– “We wanted to be absolutely sure that the baby was doing well before we made any announcements about it. It’s been nine years since we last had a tiger cub in the ZOO, so this is a big deal for us. That’s why we’re really happy that we can now share it with the world,” says the experienced zookeeper.

It is hoped that in a few weeks, the cub will be visible to visitors through the window of the tiger enclosure. The zookeeper team also hopes that it will be possible for the whole tiger family to gather in the outdoor enclosure as spring approaches.

-“We hope that guests will be patient to see the little cub outside in the enclosure, as it will probably take a few months. On the other hand, it will be a wonderful sight when it comes out for the first time,” concludes Zaco Sonne.

Now we know that the visitors are able to ‘meet’ the mother and the baby in their enclosure. I’m sure the baby tiger is every visitor’s darling!

Mama, did you just pinch my treasure?

No, my mama only helped me with the heavy thingie!

Gerti also was lucky to see the Eastern guoll in the zoo.

This species is not an ‘everyday sight’ so it was a nice surprise!

Tschüss and good bye! In the next article you can see Gerti’s photos of the other animals in the Copenhagen Zoo.