BLACKPOOL'S newest arrivals - three cuddly, rare Siberian tiger cubs - have delighted keepers at Blackpool Zoo who are now showing them off to the public.

The trio called Tammy, Turlough and Tasmin are part of the European Tiger Breeding Programme and proud parents Sheya and Jagasar have been resident at the East Park Drive venue for two years.

The stripey bundles of fun were actually born on January 26, but were kept under wraps for eight weeks until they had doubled their birth weight and introduced solids into their diet.

Zoo manager Stephen Standley said: "We are pleased Blackpool Zoo has been able to contribute to the preservation of this magnificent endangered animal."

He added: "Hopefully, one day it will become possible for tigers born in zoos to be reintroduced back into their natural habitat."

With numbers of the Siberian tigers being catastrophically reduced following the break-up of the USSR, they are facing extinction.

Tiger experts believe fewer than 300 remain in the wild. The birth of the triplets, therefore, is a triumph for the 24-year-old zoo and for the preservation of the near-extinct animals.

The happy family is now at home and welcoming visitors to the East Park Drive attraction where they are bound to be a roaring success with children over the Easter holiday.

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