Bhubaneswar, Jan. 13: Zoo authorities have not one, but three reasons to be happy. Sara, a six-year-old tigress, gave birth to three tiger cubs at Nandankanan Zoo today.

This is welcome news, especially after initial joy at the birth of five tiger cubs on November 15 last year gave way to sorrow when all five of them died three days later.

The cubs were born to Sara, and Rishi, a white tiger who is also six years old. The mother delivered all the cubs between 9am and 12 noon.

The zoo authorities took all kinds of safety measures to ensure a successful delivery and that the triplets thrive after birth. They installed close circuit TV cameras to monitor the movement of the mother and cubs. The delivery was also monitored through the CCTV cameras.

“This is the first incident in the country where we have recorded the delivery with CCTV cameras,” said a senior official of the zoo.

After the birth, a technical committee along with a health committee took stock of the mother and cubs and the zoo authorities are hopeful that the cubs will survive. It is Sara’s first delivery. The zoo authorities have even brought special Royal Canine Milk from Calcutta. If the mother rejects the offspring, the cubs will be fed the artificial food.

According to official sources, the mother, who is currently living in enclosure No. 32, is taking proper care of the cubs and the cubs, too, are active. Rishi is living in the tiger safari part of the zoo.

“We have taken care to see that no one approaches the newborns. They will be left without any human interference for 48 hours,” said deputy director of the zoo Shiba Narayan Mohapatra.

The zoo authorities need to be careful as the cubs are fed on mother’s milk for nearly four months after their birth and rejection by the mother could lead to their death. Earlier, a leopard cub had died after the mother rejected it because of human interference.

Five newborn tiger cubs had died on November 18 last year after they were rejected by their mother, Priyanka, a 12-year-old tigress. It had been Priyanka’s first delivery too. The state government had ordered an inquiry into the cub deaths.

“The death was caused by the rejection of the cubs by their mother,” Shiba Narayan Mohapatra had said.At present, the tiger population in the zoo stands at 23, excluding the newborns. Out of 23 tigers, 10 are white tigers.