Watch: Crimean tiger cubs adorably frolic in public park

Video edited by Justin Scuiletti.

It doesn’t get any cuter than this. Tiny tiger cubs, some barely two months old, stretching, yawning, rolling lazily in the grass and peering adorably up at the children surrounding them. On Saturday, more than a dozen rare white lion and Siberian tiger cubs were set free to frolic with young visitors at a safari park in Crimea’s Belogorsk town, part of a local campaign to raise awareness about protection of the wild animals.

Siberian tigers are the world’s northernmost tiger species. Only about 500 of these tigers exist worldwide. That’s up from just dozens at the beginning of the 20th century, but scientists still consider the species endangered. White lions are even more rare: only about a hundred exist.

“The objective of today’s promotional campaign is to grab people’s attention on the subject of defense of wild animals,” Taigan Safari Park director Oleg Zubkov told Reuters TV as cubs sprawled across his lap. “We are against hunting. Today everyone can try to pet wonderful, rare animals just like this, and to understand that they are unique to their kind, and they should be protected.”

Editor’s note:
As many commenters have noted, human contact with adolescent big cats is discouraged by many animal rights organizations who argue the experience has a negative effect on the animals’ welfare. This information should have been included in the original version of this article. PBS NewsHour regrets the omission.