A white tigress has given birth to three cubs at Maitri Bagh zoo in Chhattisgarh's Durg district, officials said on Sunday.

With the birth of these cubs, news of which was made public on Saturday, the number of white tigers in the zoo located in Bhilai city, about 35 kilometres away from Raipur, has reached nine, they said.

"On April 28, white tigress Raksha gave birth to three cubs. White tiger Sultan is the father of the cubs. As per veterinary norms, the cubs are kept in a dark room along with the mother for supervision of breastfeeding and other health parameters," said zoo in charge NK Jain.

The cubs will be made available for public viewing after the completion of the four-month care period, he added.

In September last year, white tigress Roma gave birth to a cub, which was named 'Singham'. It was also fathered by white tiger Sultan, Jain informed.

"At present, the zoo has nine white tigers, including the the new born cubs. In 1997, a pair of white tigers Tarun and Tapsi, for the first time, were shifted to Maitri Bagh from Nandan Kanan zoo of neighbouring Odisha," he said.

Maitri Bagh is maintained by Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP), a flagship unit of the country's largest steel maker Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL).

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