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2 Amur Tiger Cubs Have their 1st Public Outing at German Zoo

Two Amur tiger cubs, Tochka and Timur, have their first public outing at Cologne Zoo in Cologne, Thursday July 18, 2024. (Thomas Banneyer/dpa via AP)
Two Amur tiger cubs, Tochka and Timur, have their first public outing at Cologne Zoo in Cologne, Thursday July 18, 2024. (Thomas Banneyer/dpa via AP)
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2 Amur Tiger Cubs Have their 1st Public Outing at German Zoo

Two Amur tiger cubs, Tochka and Timur, have their first public outing at Cologne Zoo in Cologne, Thursday July 18, 2024. (Thomas Banneyer/dpa via AP)
Two Amur tiger cubs, Tochka and Timur, have their first public outing at Cologne Zoo in Cologne, Thursday July 18, 2024. (Thomas Banneyer/dpa via AP)

Two Amur tiger cubs had their first public outing Thursday at Cologne Zoo in Germany, one of several zoos that have sought to help keep up the numbers of the rare big cats.
The cubs — a female named Tochka and a male named Timur — were born in mid-April and now weigh about 13 kilos each. The pair explored their enclosure together with their mother, 13-year-old Katinka.
Amur tigers, also known as Siberian tigers, are found in the far east of Russia and northeastern China and are considered endangered.
“We are very happy and proud of the offspring of this highly threatened species,” zoo curator Alexander Sliwa said in a statement, which said that 240 Amur tigers in zoos are currently part of a European program to help conserve and breed the animals.
Katinka was brought from the zoo in Nuremberg last summer in exchange for Cologne tiger Akina after the existing pairs at both zoos had long failed to produce offspring. She quickly hit it off with 9-year-old Sergan, the cubs' father, the zoo said.

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South Korea’s Birthrate Set to Rise for the First Time in Nine Years 

A woman stands on a rooftop overlooking the Gwanghwamun Gate (back C) of Gyeongbokgung Palace on a polluted day in Seoul on January 21, 2025. (AFP)
A woman stands on a rooftop overlooking the Gwanghwamun Gate (back C) of Gyeongbokgung Palace on a polluted day in Seoul on January 21, 2025. (AFP)
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South Korea’s Birthrate Set to Rise for the First Time in Nine Years 

A woman stands on a rooftop overlooking the Gwanghwamun Gate (back C) of Gyeongbokgung Palace on a polluted day in Seoul on January 21, 2025. (AFP)
A woman stands on a rooftop overlooking the Gwanghwamun Gate (back C) of Gyeongbokgung Palace on a polluted day in Seoul on January 21, 2025. (AFP)

South Korea's birthrate is set to show a rise in 2024 for the first time in nine years, following a rebound in marriages that were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Asian country has recorded the world's lowest fertility rates, but the number of newborns between January 2024 and November 2024 rose 3% from a year earlier to 220,094, monthly government data showed on Wednesday.

In 2023, newborns fell by 7.7%, extending declines to an eighth consecutive year and resulting in an annual fertility rate of 0.72, the lowest globally.

The rise comes as marriages rose in 2023, marking the first increase in 12 years after couples had postponed weddings during the pandemic.

In the Asian country, there is a high correlation between marriages and births, with a time lag of one or two years, as marriage is often seen as a prerequisite to having children.

In a government survey last year, 62.8% of South Koreans opposed births outside marriage, though that was down from 77.5% seen a decade ago.

In neighboring China, the number of births rose 5.8% to 9.54 million in 2024, also boosted by delays in marriages due to the pandemic.

The number of marriages in South Korea in the January to November period jumped 13.5% to 199,903. That figure, unless there is a change in December, will mark the biggest annual increase since 1980.

Last year, South Korea rolled out various measures to encourage young people to get married and have children, after now impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol declared a "national demographic crisis" and a plan to create a new ministry devoted to tackling low birth rates.

Most of the measures consisted of financial support through tax cuts and subsidies, namely a one-time tax cut of 500,000 won ($349.35) per person for couples married between 2024 and 2026, though the government has said it will try to take a more comprehensive approach.

The annual data for 2024 is due to be released on Feb. 26.