Adorable World-First Footage Of Endangered Tiger Mom With 5 Cubs Marks Huge Conservation Win

A wild Amur tigress has been filmed with five cubs in tow in the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park. The first-of-its-kind footage has stunned wild cat experts, as these tigers typically only give birth to between one and four cubs.

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The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) are describing the footage as “extraordinary,” and with good reason.

“It's the first time that a mother with five cubs has ever been filmed in China,” said Stuart Chapman, Leader of WWF’s global tiger program, Tigers Alive, in a statement emailed to IFLScience. “China’s commitment to tiger conservation is delivering incredible results and creating a bright future for these magnificent cats.”

You can see the incredible footage in the video below (heads up, Cub Number Five keeps you waiting).

The Amur tigress is thought to be around nine years old, and her cubs between six to eight months old. They were recorded in November 2025 in the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, which is the world’s largest tiger reserve and a critical habitat for endangered Amur tigers.

To keep so many mouths fed in a region where prey availability is still recovering in the region is an impressive feat, and to have caught it on camera has checked off several footage firsts.

“The first footage of ‘six wild tigers in one frame’ recorded in China reflects that China’s conservation actions have been effective,” added Zhou Fei, Chief Program Officer of WWF-China. “Years of conservation efforts show that saving tigers is possible, in the current global acceleration of nature loss, ‘save the roar’ brings hope and strength for the restoration and conservation of other endangered species and their habitats.”

The family’s debut comes at a critical time for Amur tigers as recent estimates suggest their numbers are climbing following an all-time low of just 20 individuals in 2010. Around half of wild Amur cubs don’t survive their first two years, even in areas where prey is abundant.

Today, Amur tigers represent one of the larger tiger subpopulations in the world, but they were pushed to the brink of extinction during the 1930s. This was in part due to decades of political unrest, and a result of hunting – both of the tigers themselves, and the boar and deer that make up their diet.

It’s been an uphill battle to restore their numbers since Russia became the first country to ban tiger hunting in 1947. It’s now estimated there are 70 wild tigers in China’s Northeast, making this tigress and her five cubs a beacon of hope for tiger conservation worldwide.