The staff at Cuba's National Zoo is celebrating the birth of four Bengal tiger cubs, one of them a rare white tiger, given the extremely difficult conditions the facility has been dealing with. Zookeepers described the event as "a major reproductive milestone", according to Reuters.
The little kittens were born amid Cuba's ongoing shortages and energy crisis, as the zoo was already struggling with fuel shortages, unstable electrical power, and limited resources. This is making it much harder to feed and care for nearly a thousand animals across its large grounds in La Havana. The workers at the zoo are keeping the animals alive through improvisation and new support partners, the report unveils. For instance, staff are using horse carts and electric tricycles to move around the 375-hectare facility, while agreements with small private business are helping supply food and materials.