Five hours later, Kaitlin, a Sumatran Tiger, was having contractions in her pen. The caretakers were holding their breath to see if the cubs were coming out. The soon-to-be mother was barely moving, but it looked like she was not going to give up.
To the zookeeper's relief, the first cub came out! They were so happy to see the new baby boy cub, cheering and applauding Kaitlin for her efforts. However, fear and worry struck them instantly. The baby was not moving, and Kaitlin was trying her best to help her helpless cub. What she did next left everyone shocked.
Kaitlyn, The Sumatran Tiger
Kaitlyn is one of the most incredible zoo displays, pride and joy of the zoo team. Having known that Sumatran tigers are at their peak of being endangered, the zoo has been doing its best to give Kaitlyn the most exceptional care and support she needs.
The zoo caretakers are always responsible enough to provide all the animals in the zoo with excellent supervision, but they pay special attention to Kaitlyn. It wasn't only because she was a representative of the rare species. But also because the tigress was pregnant.
Day of Labor
After some time, Kaitlyn’s most awaited time had arrived on a date. She wasn’t the only one who was anticipating this moment because all of the staff were also delighted to witness this anticipated moment.
On the day of her labor, Kaitlyn had experienced on and off contractions for several hours. Upon her delivery, the zoo caretakers were also carefully recording and checking her situation every minute.
Expecting Twins
The zoo caretakers already knew that Kaitlyn was expecting to have twins. With this, the caretakers had also anticipated that Kaitlyn’s delivery would be challenging. Although, they also knew that Kaitlyn was strong enough to live through this.
From the caretaker's sentiments, he believed Kaitlin to be a tough tiger even if she was a first-time mom. The anticipation in the room was getting higher as they saw that the baby cub was almost there.
Guided by the Zoo Caretakers
Upon Kaitlyn’s labor, she had been guided by the zoo caretakers. Inside their office, they had been watching on a TV monitor. They were also on the edge of their seats as they were observing Kaitlyn’s labor process.
The caretakers were coordinating with each other as they kept a monitored view of how Kaitlin was doing inside her enclosure. Using walkies to communicate, they were also hoping that Kaitlin would successfully deliver her two cubs.
Watching from the Monitor
Watching from the monitor, the caretakers could see how Kaitlin was responding to her contractions. On the record, they had finished a couple of hours of not much activity.
Kaitlin was enduring the pain from her contractions, but her level of dedication was more than measured. The caretakers could also discern that Kaitlin was keeping herself composed and focused.
More Contractions
As time passed by, Kaitlin had experienced a lot more activity. At this time, she was getting to where she had some pretty regular and muscular contractions. Kaitlin was entering the advanced stages of labor, and she was now starting to position to deliver her cub.
The caretakers were also contemplating the possibility that Kaitlin’s cub would be out soon. Utilizing their expertise, they were getting in contact with each other as that time was nearing.
The Cub was On the Way
Kaitlin already had her amniotic sac out. This meant that the cub was already on the way. While the caretakers continued to prepare themselves for what happened after, they silently wished Kaitlin all the best. They also could not wait to celebrate the success of Kaitlin’s delivery and labor.
Palms on their faces and beads of sweat rolling down their foreheads, they were eager to meet Kaitlin’s cubs. With their support, Kaitlin was able to gain strength and motivation from them.
First Cub was Out
After some minutes, the cub in the sac burst around Kaitlin. Hence, the first cub was out! Cheering and applauding, the caretakers were complimenting Kaitlin’s accomplishment as she had been doing a great job.
Despite the pain that she was feeling, her commitment to bringing her cubs into life helped her get through the pain. In addition, having people applauding her and being at her side had also given her a prominent support system.
Cheering for the Mother Tiger
On Kaitlin’s successful delivery of her first cub, the caretakers were praising her. Indeed, Kaitlin had proven that she could handle it all. Everyone was celebrating the birth of the first cub with smiles on their faces.
However, one thing had struck them after some moments of celebration. They were startled to discover the situation of the tiger cub. Additionally, they were frightened at what would most likely happen to the cub.
Baby Tiger was Not Breathing
The first baby tiger wasn’t breathing! This news alarmed the staff and Kaitlin the most. Everyone was already on the verge of running outside to Kaitlyn to help her nurse her cub.
However, one of the staff instructed them to just stand by at that moment. Following the instruction, the caretakers stood idly by for a few more minutes as they watched how Kaitlin would respond to the situation.
Made Few Gasps
Unfortunately, things got off to a rocky start with the first cub as it struggled to breathe when welcomed into the world. The caretaker beside Kaitlin counted how many breaths the baby made. The cub only made a few gasps for air.
More than two minutes went by, and the cub was still not breathing steadily. Hence, the observers were becoming very concerned that the cub might die. This situation had somehow resulted in the staff becoming distressed about the current condition of the baby cub.
Staff were Worried
There was no way to know if the mama tiger was worried about her baby or not. As per instruction, they had been told to leave Kaitlin alone and let her do what she was supposed to do.
As much as they wanted to get in Kaitlin's enclosure and give her a hand, they had chosen to believe in Kaitlin's capability as a mother. Silently praying for the baby's life, they knew that Kaitlin would become attentive to her cub's condition.
Cub’s Weak Attempts
The cub was making weak attempts which were still not enough for it to have a good amount of oxygen. The tiny tiger was just gasping, but it wasn’t breathing. There wasn’t so much air that could support the cub to use its lungs efficiently.
Tension was building inside the monitoring hall to where the zoo's caretakers stayed while keeping in sight of Kaitlin's situation at the moment. Thus, they believed that Kaitlin would act accordingly to the cub’s needs.
Comprehending the Situation
Everyone watching her was already anxious about what could happen next. With the strength of a momma tiger, Kaitlin remained calm and started to understand her situation. She might be a first-time mom, but it did not cripple down her ways of saving her child's life.
In a few minutes, she made a careful analysis of how she could help her child. The people watching her could imagine that she didn’t entirely know what to expect.
Instincts Jolted Her to Action
However, regardless of her condition, the mother knew exactly what needed to be done. Thankfully, her motherly instincts awakened her into action at just the right time.
Putting her abilities into action, the zoo's caretakers were left astounded at how she did it. They thoroughly knew that Kaitlin was making the right move. Kaitlin had then come into helping her cub breathe properly.
Licking Her Cub
Kaitlin did what animals naturally do when their babies are born. As with any other creatures, they would usually lick their newborns to clean them. Mother animals licked their offspring to clean them and to provoke urination and suckling.
It also provided comfort that strengthened the bond between the mother and the child. And so, Kaitlin licked her baby cub as any mother tigers would do to their babies upon birth.
Stimulating the Cub to Breath
The pressure and motion on the young cub's body had stimulated his lungs so that his ability to breathe improved. She instinctively did not stop helping her baby until he was breathing well on his own.
It cleared the airways of the cub so that it could adequately breathe. By this means, the caretakers were so ecstatic that they could see signs of life in the baby cub.
Modest Results
Initially, Kaitlin’s licking only generated modest results. Just as the caretakers had perceived, it was similar to what a nurse might do in the hospital when a human baby was born.
A nurse might wipe away the amniotic fluid and suction any fluid out of the baby’s nose so that they could breathe easily. That being so, Kaitlin’s licking had led to a positive result, and she repeated the action to her cub on and on.
Kaitlin was Persistent
Just as any other mother would do, Kaitlyn persisted. Thankfully, Kaitlyn’s motherly instincts kicked in. She acted like an old pro and began licking the first cub immediately after he was born. She did not give up until she knew that her cub would be safe already.
Kaitlin had done a remarkable deed as she continuously helped her cub. This might be a basic motherly instinct, but it was such a life-saver act from the perspective of the cub.
Motivating Kaitlin
Just as hard as the staff wanted to help Kaitlin, they too remained calm and collected. They could see how difficult Kaitlin’s situation was. However, they preferred to just sit back and let her get on with it because they knew she was amazingly capable.
Patting each other's back, each of them was silently motivating Kaitlin. They knew that Kaitlin would do well, to which she eventually did.
Continuous Normal Breaths
Finally, the baby cub took a couple of normal breaths. The mother tiger did her job and did it amazingly well. Over time, the cub had continuous normal breaths. This was good news for Kaitlin and the staff.
The cub was also courageously fighting for his life. He knew that her mother was waiting for him to come to life, so just like his mother, he also became persistent in taking an average breathing pace.
Full Breath of Air
The new mother vigorously cleaned her newborn until he could pull in a full breath of air. Eventually, the cub’s situation had turned out to be okay after some moments of reviving it back to life.
At the start, the cub might have shown visible signs of distress. He could not breathe oxygen into his tiny lungs on his own. However, everything went well in the end.
Squeal-Out to Mom
After completely getting a full breath of air, the first cub made its first-ever noise. It made a little squeal-out to its mother. On the other hand, Kaitlin had continuously shown her loving care to her cub as she cherished her child after successfully delivering it.
The staff of the zoo was also delighted to see the beautiful ten-minute-old cub. They found it incredible at first as they were also living out the moment while the cub was in the phase of fighting for its life.
Second Cub was Out
For some moments, Kaitlin had contractions again, which meant the second cub would be on its way. She was looking for the proper position and started to take deep breaths. Finally, the sack of the second cub was already coming out.
At this time, the second baby was successfully delivered. Subsequently, Kaitlin could now finally cling to her cubs. She might have faced specific challenges at the start of her labor, but it was still all worth it.
Breathing Easily
The second baby was doing very well. While the first cub was lifeless and struggling to breathe for the first few minutes of his life, the second cub was immediately moving around and breathing easily. The second cub had an easier time breathing than the first.
His birth ended up being quite a bit different than that of his brother’s. Anyhow, Kaitlin had already done a significant achievement as she brought out two lovely twin cubs.
Everyone was Relieved
After her successful delivery of her cub twins, the staff at the zoo clapped and cheered for Kaitlin. Everyone was relieved and even joyful as they shared in the celebration of Kaitlin’s success. It was not a smooth ride at first, but Kaitlin managed it all so well.
With this, they had proven that Kaitlin would be a great mother to her cubs. She did a fantastic job! After all, all mothers always wanted to become great for their children.
Proud Momma
The Sumatran tiger is a critically endangered species, and birth in itself is miraculous in a way. Thus, Kaitlyn’s bravery to overcome such a challenging situation exemplifies how outstanding mothers could be. In any other species, mothers will always know what is best.
They will always recognize the things lacking in their children and try to fill that void. Mothers will always perform their best duties as the light of every home.