SLEEPING BEAUTIES: Rescued Tiger Cubs Found Underweight Now Have Round Bellies

Four adorable tiger cubs that were found starving have been put on display showing well-rounded figures and tubby bellies.

The adorable snaps were taken several weeks after they were found underweight when they were rescued from the wildlife trade. d

The little ones named Mukda, Sawan, Kham Khong, and Kham Daen reportedly upped to about six kilogrammes (13 lbs) after they were found malnourished on Tuesday, 15th November 2022.

They reportedly weighed between two and three kilogrammes (4.4 and 6.6 lbs) when they were rescued from an animal trafficker, identified only by the name Thanat, aged 63, from the northeast of Bangkok, in Thailand.

Thanat, who had reportedly smuggled endangered animals since September, was arrested by the police in the Mukdahan Province while attempting to sell the two male and two female cubs to undercover agents.

Each of the cubs was reportedly worth THB 1.5 million (GBP 35,000) on the black market.

But footage obtained from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation of Thailand just weeks after the rescue shows the adorable animals happily snoozing together on top of a grey blanket. They said in a statement obtained by Newsflash that the cubs are in good health.

In the video, the four chubby fellows can be seen sleeping cheek to cheek, after reportedly spending the night under veterinary care at a wildlife facility in the city of Ubon Ratchathani.

The footage has also received over 4,000 views on Facebook, and netizens posted many heartwarming comments.

One user named 'Kannika Ratsadonniyom' said: "All of them are cute."

Another user, 'Nutcha Benya', added: "So cute in each pose. Little Sawan might be dreaming that she is sucking milk. The four siblings are not lonely."

A third user named 'Kaewta Jinachai' commented: "Will I be fierce when I grow up? Now this is so adorable."