Minnesota Zoo's new baby Amur tigers make their public debut

It's a big day at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley.

The zoo's newest babies, 16-week old Amur tiger cubs Andre and Amalia, are making their public debut.

The Minnesota Zoo's Trista Fischer spoke with WCCO-TV about the cubs.

"Typically our female, her behavior, she's much more bold," says Fischer. "She's usually our instigator, where he usually sits back and observes, waits to see how Amalia does with things and then proceeds to move forward."

The rare baby Amur tigers were born in late-May . The cubs are part of the zoo's "Species Survival Plan," geared toward raising endangered animals. It's estimated only about 4,500 tigers remain in the wild, with about 500 of those being Amur tigers.

The Amur, or Siberian Tiger, is native to the Russian Far East, Northeast China and possibly North Korea. Currently, the species inhabits mainly a mountain region in southwest Primorye Province in the Russian Far East. They're often considered the largest tiger growing to 200-600 pounds depending on sex and where they are found.

The Minnesota Zoo is also welcoming two new sea lions Thursday, Clyde and Jo Jo from California. The brought in two other California Sea Lions back in June.