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HEADLINER TRIPLETS CELEBRATE FIRST BIRTHDAYS

TIGER ISLAND’S THREE SUMATRAN CUBS MET THE BRISBANE TRIPLET BUBS AT A DREAMWORLD

Both sets were born in June 2008. Both comprised of three little wrigglers weighing around 1.5kg each. And both made headlines around the world; one for being a trio of critically endangered Sumatran tiger cubs, and the other for being triplet bubs conceived naturally to 47 year old Brisbane grandmother, Janelle Perry and her husband, Robert.

That’s where the similarities end.

Yesterday, while one set of Queensland’s headliner triplets was clocking up 70 kg each, slurping down milk and bounding around Dreamworld’s Tiger Island throughout the birthday celebrations, the other set was hardly topping 10kg each, proud to show off their new front teeth and happy to sit back and catch all the birthday hubris from the safe side of the glass window.

The Sumatran sisters’ doting dad and Tiger Island Manager, Patrick Martin-Vegue, said raising the triplets has been a huge amount of fun.

“Their birthday was June 9 so they each got a box to play with, had a big walk and enjoyed some extra milk. They’re almost two thirds their full adult size and they are out on the island every day now.”

Brisbane Supermum, Janelle Perry, said it was ironic that her own triplets were born so close to the birth date of the Sumatran cubs.
 

“I saw it on TV just before I gave birth. It’s amazing. Our boys were born only ten days and 50 kilometres away from the tiger cubs, but the rate of growth is just so different.”

Ms Perry and her husband Robert agreed that an outing to Dreamworld was a big event. “It was a bit chaotic getting here, but Cooper, Jordan and Kyle seem to love all the action and the attention. The have giggled through the whole media event. They are quite the stars.”

The Perry family will celebrate the birth of their sons this Friday, June 19. Five year old sister, Rebecca, will join the fun.

Notes to editor:  

Sumatran sisters Jaya (Indonesian for ‘victory’), Shanti (meaning ‘inner peace’ in classical Indian) and Ndari (Indonesian for ‘full moon’) were born on Monday, June 9 following a gestation period of between 100 to 110 days.  The triplets are three of a very limited number of Sumatran tiger cubs born in the Australasian region in last 10 years and are part of a globally co-ordinated breeding programme to save the species.  With less than 400 Sumatran tigers left in the wild, their importance can not be underestimated.

The cubs’ parents, Raja and Soraya have the purest blood lines in the Australasian region and will make a significant contribution to the conservation of Sumatran Tigers.

CAPTION:         Cooper, Jordan and Kyle Perry, the Brisbane bubs born June 19, 2008 meet the Dreamworld Sumatran Cubs for a combined first birthday at Dreamworld on June 14.

More information about Tigers in Dreamworld:
https://www.dreamworld.com.au/content/drw_2008_standard.asp?name=Tigers