Kali, the Tiger Cub Rejected by Her MotherThe veterinary team at Terra Natura Benidorm has begun the weaning process for Kali, the Asian tiger cub born at the park last November. Kali was rejected at birth by her mother, Ela.
As Kali’s teeth emerge, she is being weaned off her mother's milk and introduced to solid food. The cub has begun licking small pieces of meat and taking tiny bites. As her teeth develop, the quantity of meat she consumes will increase, and her milk intake will decrease until the lactation phase ends completely.
Because Kali was rejected by her mother, the park's caretakers must carry out the same process she would have followed with Ela. This requires the support of the park's veterinary experts. The entire weaning process will take one to two months.
To help Kali adjust to eating meat, her formula milk intake has been slightly reduced. The meat is introduced in small, manageable pieces and mixed with milk to make the taste and smell more familiar to her. This ensures that Kali receives the proper nutrients, as feeding her only boneless meat would lead to a calcium deficiency.
Currently, Kali is being fed about 20 grams of meat. This allows the caretakers to monitor how well her digestive system handles the change in diet. If she adapts well, the quantity of meat will increase to half a kilo per day within a month.
For comparison, adult tigers at the park eat between three and four kilos of meat daily. In the wild, these powerful felines can consume up to 35 kilos of meat in a single meal, as they eat only when hunting, taking advantage of the opportunity to stockpile food.
This morning, the Terra Natura Benidorm veterinarian administered Kali's first vaccine to protect her immune system and inserted a microchip via a subcutaneous injection in the left side of her neck. The microchip ensures that Kali is fully identified.
Since tigers are considered an endangered species and are listed under CITES I, it is mandatory for them to be identified with a microchip.
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