CHESTER Zoo have welcomed a string of new arrivals to their fold as tiger and northern cheetah cubs made their first appearance.

Two rare Sumatran tiger cubs and a pair of endangered northern cheetahs were given the all-clear by the zoo's specialist vets who gave them their essential vaccinations and recorded their weight.

The newcomers, who are all eight weeks old, will now become part of a European-wide breeding programme, providing a safety-net in the event that wild populations become extinct.

Curator of mammals Tim Rowlands said: "Both species basically receive the same vaccines that a pet cat is given at the vets.

"The difference is we're much more cautious about handling the cubs than we would be with domestic kittens.

"We worked in teams to complete the checks quickly, before returning them to their mums as soon as possible.

"They are very good mothers and fiercely protective of their young charges, so we certainly didn't want to hang around long."

Each of the cubs also received a full physical examination which revealed the tigers are both female and the cheetahs are one of each.

Mr Rowlands added: "Sumatran tigers and northern cheetahs are two of the rarest big cat species in the world and so these are very, very special cubs indeed.

"We needed to make sure they are healthy and in good body condition and happily all of the cubs have been given a completely clean bill of health."