Minnesota
Pair of rare Amur tiger cubs debuting at Minnesota Zoo are raising hopes for the endangered species
APPLE VALLEY, Minn. (AP) — A pair of rare Amur tiger cubs are making their public debut at the Minnesota Zoo, raising hopes for preserving an endangered species that’s native to far eastern Russia and northern China.
Andrei and Amaliya got to venture outside and feel the grass of their new home under their paws Wednesday for the first time since their 12-year-old mother, Dari, gave birth on May 23.
“They’ve done quite well since then,” zoologist Trista Fischer said. “We’ve monitored them very closely. Dari’s been fantastic. She’s provided outstanding maternal care. And so today we’ve reached the point where they’re fully vaccinated and they’re now about 40 to 45 pounds (18-20 kilograms).”
Scientists estimate the Amur tiger population is just around 400 to 500 in the wild. They were near the brink of extinction in the 1930s and 1940s but have recovered somewhat since then. It’s tricky to breed them, and around one in four Amur cubs don’t make it to adulthood, whether it’s in the wild or in captivity, she said. Poachers are another major threat.
But the Minnesota Zoo, located in the Minneapolis suburb of Apple Valley, has a long history of conserving tigers. Its Amur tigers have produced 57 cubs, 46 of which survived for at least 30 days. Of those 46, 21 have gone on to produce litters of their own, amounting to another 86 cubs. The births of Andrei and Amaliya raised the zoo’s population to seven Amur tigers, including their sire, Luka.
Fischer is the leading coordinator for the Tiger Species Survival Plan, a breeding program in the United States with facilities in other countries that works on a global level to preserve the big cats. The plan manages three groups of tigers: Sumatran, Malayan and Amur.
“This litter is so valuable to the population right now,” she explained, saying the genetic diversity of heathy tigers in human care could someday be used to help support populations in the wild.
Zoo spokesperson Zach Nugent said the cubs will remain housed together with their mom for about 18 months, before Andrei, the male, is moved to separate housing, around the same time a male cub in the wild would start venturing out on his own. Amaliya, the female, may spend a little more time with Dari, up to 24 months. Then Fischer will determine whether either cub should be bred, and potentially moved for that to another accredited zoo, which typically happens after the cubs are 2 years old.
“Aww, I love when they get their little Yoda ears,” Fischer said referring to the pointy ears of the Star Wars character as she watched Amaliya and Andrei explore the new terrain of their enclosure. She said it was an emotional, exciting and proud moment for her and her team.
“Our work’s not over, but all that work so far is really paying off in how well that these cubs are acclimating to a new surrounding, pretty much immediately,” she said as the little tigers roamed outside with their mother. “They’re showing a lot of resiliency, which is something that we work hard for in human care. We want these animals to have a lot of confidence and be able to adapt to new environments just as they’re doing today.”
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AP writer Steve Karnowski reported from Minneapolis.
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An inability to grab a pair of rebounds in the final moments of San Antonio’s Christmas Day game resulted in the Spurs losing by three points to the New York Knicks.
That same inability played a big role in the Spurs’ 112-110 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night in Minneapolis.
The Timberwolves out-rebounded San Antonio 56-41 and grabbed 18 offensive rebounds (San Antonio had just eight). Rudy Gobert had a game-high 15 rebounds for Minnesota and his teammate Jaden McDaniels had 10. Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with eight rebounds.
PUT IT BACK, SLIM!!! pic.twitter.com/tgtLnS3XZX
— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) December 30, 2024
However, it’s not just that Minnesota had more rebounds in the game. It’s also when those rebounds came. One of the most crucial rebounds for the Timberwolves came with 15 seconds left to play.
With the Spurs trailing 111-109, Wembanyama was fouled and made the first of his two free throws. But he missed the second and the rebound was grabbed by Minnesota’s Donte DiVincenzo (who was subsequently fouled and made one of his two free throws to account for the final score).
A similar ending occurred against the Knicks on Christmas when New York’s Josh Hart grabbed two offensive rebounds in the final 17 seconds of that 117-114 contest.
READ MORE: Spurs Star Victor Wembanyama Surprises New York Locals with Chess Match
Two games ending in similar fashions isn’t a lot, but is interesting it’s happened twice. San Antonio ranks 11th in the league in rebounds per game (44.7 per game) which is well ahead of the Timberwolves (42.7, sixth-worst in the NBA).
The Spurs also have a center that can block shots without jumping. Wembanyama is no slouch in grabbing rebounds. He’s averaged 10.3 per game in December and had 18 against the Knicks, but Sunday’s night performance was good enough.
LET’S GOOOOOOOO! pic.twitter.com/IQmFBErnUl
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 30, 2024
Jeremy Sochan is second on the Spurs with 8.7 rebounds per game, but had just four Sunday night (as well as only five points). Devin Vassell had seven rebounds and both Harrison Barnes and Chris Paul had five.
The Spurs (16-16) will have a couple days to figure out what went wrong Sunday. San Antonio won’t be back in action until Tuesday when the Los Angels Clippers (18-13) come to town.
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The game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs Sunday night in Minneapolis has been delayed over an hour due to an issue with the Target Center court, the NBA announced on social media Sunday afternoon.
The originally scheduled 7 p.m. CT tipoff has now been rescheduled for 8:10 p.m.
The start of tonight’s game between Minnesota and San Antonio will be delayed due to an issue with the game court. The court has been replaced and the game is now scheduled to tip at 8:10 p.m. CT.
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) December 29, 2024
With the delay, doors at Target Center will now open at 5:10 p.m., according to the Timberwolves.
Tonight’s game between the Minnesota @Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs at Target Center will be delayed due to an issue with the game court. The new tip time will be 8:10 p.m. CT. Doors will open to fans beginning at 5:30 p.m. CT.
— Timberwolves PR (@Twolves_PR) December 29, 2024
According to the Star Tribune’s Chris Hine, the team’s “City Edition” court was planned for the game, but instead it will be replaced with the standard home court. An issue was discovered with the other court during the Spurs’ shootaround.
There was an issue with the court that was discovered at San Antonio’s shootaround this morning. The Wolves had to replace the court https://t.co/r2kGD278Bz
— Chris Hine (@ChristopherHine) December 29, 2024
There was recently a delay at Target Center on Dec. 21 when a faulty rim had to be replaced ahead of Minnesota’s game against the Golden State Warriors. The game started over 30 minutes late after workers had replaced the rim.
The Timberwolves and Spurs have met twice previously this season — the Spurs beat the Wolves 113-103 on Nov. 2 in San Antonio and Minnesota beat the Spurs 106-92 in San Antonio on Dec. 15. This will be the first time the two teams have met in Minneapolis this season. The Wolves are currently 16-14, while the San Antonio has a 16-15 record this year.
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