The Sumatran tiger is tragically one of the most endangered species in the entire world, and there were only around 679 of them left as of 2008. Unfortunately, they are now the only surviving tiger species living on the Sunda Islands.

The Sumatran tiger is the cousin to the Bali tiger and the Javan tiger, both of which have sadly gone extinct. At the Australia Zoo, zookeepers are doing everything they can to save the Sumatran tiger. That’s why they were ecstatic to learn that their Sumatran tiger Kaitlyn was pregnant with twins!

Kaitlyn’s blood line can be traced back to the wild origins, meaning her baby tigers are the most genetically valuable tigers to have been born at the zoo. Since this was Kaitlyn’s first pregnancy, caretakers kept an especially close eye on her to make sure that she stayed healthy and that everything went according to plan.

When it finally came time for Kaitlyn to give birth, the first baby came out, and it became clear that the infant was not breathing. As the caretakers started to panic, Kaitlyn took action, as she knew exactly what to do.

As the infant continued to struggle to breathe, Kaitlyn kept licking the child to try and help her. Finally, after Kaitlyn continued with this for a few minutes, the baby started to cry, signaling to the zookeepers that the child would be alright!

Ten minutes later, Kaitlyn gave birth to her second baby, who was perfectly healthy! Thanks to her efforts, there are now two more Sumatran tigers in the world!

Watch the incredible moment for yourself in the video below!