London Zoo newborn Sumatran tiger cub found dead

London Zoo's newborn Sumatran tiger cub has drowned, the zoo has confirmed.

Five-year-old Sumatran tiger Melati gave birth to the cub on 22 September after a six-minute labour. The cub was the first tiger to be born at the zoo for 17 years.

On Saturday, zookeepers could not see the cub on the den cameras and its body was later discovered on the edge of a pool inside the enclosure.

A post-mortem test conducted on Sunday confirmed the cub had drowned.

It is thought that Melati carried the cub outside the den, but keepers are unclear as to how the cub got into the pool as there are no cameras in the wider enclosure.

The cub was born six months after the opening of the "tiger territory", designed to encourage the endangered sub-species of tiger to breed.

Melati's pregnancy lasted 105 days and was kept secret by zookeepers, who maintained a careful watch on the first-time mother through hidden cameras so they would not disturb her.

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Bear cub rescued from hunter in Laos

Moon bear cub rescue in Laos highlights growing threats to Southeast Asia's bears

July 2012. A young male Moon bear cub, thought to be just five months old, arrived at Free the Bears' Tat Kuang Si Bear Rescue Centre in the early hours of 13th June after a dramatic rescue by Lao forestry officials. The cub, which has since been named Kobe, is the 26th bear to arrive at the rescue centre since it was established in 2003, and the first bear to be rescued in 2012.

Mother killed
Forest Guards in Muang Meung district were alerted by the news that a hunter had shot and killed a female bear in the Nam Kan National Protected Area, close to the village of Hoy Tak. A team of three men were instantly dispatched to investigate and detain the hunter, however when they reached the village they discovered that a live cub had been captured and was being hidden in the forest. Following a 2-day stake-out of the village, the terrified cub was finally recovered in an ambush, although the hunter managed to flee into the forest to evade arrest.

Traders tried to buy the cub
Returning to the provincial capital of Houay Xai, plans were made to transfer the bear cub to the Tat Kuang Si Bear Rescue Centre in Luang Prabang province. Whilst awaiting transportation permits Forest Guards were approached several times by local wildlife traders seeking to purchase the cub to sell into a bear bile farm in Laos or neighbouring Vietnam. Some even offered a higher price if the cub was sold with paperwork authorising its transportation! Fortunately these offers were all rebuffed and following a 12-hour journey over mountainous roads the cub finally reached the Free the Bears-supported sanctuary at 4am. He is now being cared for by Free the Bears staff, receiving around-the-clock feeds and recovering from his ordeal.

Continued:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/laos-bear.html