Siberian Tiger With Record-Breaking Five Cubs Recorded on Trail Camera

A Siberian tiger and her five cubs roam in China. | Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park

In a landmark moment for wildlife monitoring, trail cameras in Northeast China have captured never-before-seen footage of a wild Siberian tigress with five cubs — the first time such a large tiger family has ever been recorded on camera in the country.

The footage was captured in November 2025 by remote camera traps in the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park, the world’s largest tiger reserve and a crucial stronghold for the endangered Siberian tiger.

China has recorded its first-ever footage of a wild Siberian tigress with five cubs in Hunchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, at the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park — the world's largest tiger reserve and a key habitat for the endangered species.

The mother… pic.twitter.com/C1UyIHKLqQ

— People's Daily, China (@PDChina) December 26, 2025

The images were recorded automatically by motion-triggered trail cameras, part of a long-term monitoring network designed to track elusive wildlife without human disturbance. These cameras revealed something biologists have rarely witnessed directly: a mother Siberian tiger raising five cubs. In the wild, Siberian tigers, also known as Amur tigers, usually give birth to one to four cubs, making this five-cub litter exceptionally rare — and even more remarkable in a landscape where prey populations are still recovering.

The WWF reports that the trail camera footage shows the nine-year-old tigress moving through forest corridors with her six-to-eight-month-old cubs in tow. This family is distinct from another tigress with four cubs recently recorded by the same camera trap network. The repeated detection of multiple breeding tiger families through camera monitoring underscores the effectiveness of conservation efforts and highlights the essential role of trail cameras in documenting recovery progress.

“This extraordinary footage literally took my breath away. It’s the first time that a mother with five cubs has ever been filmed in China. China’s commitment to tiger conservation is delivering incredible results and creating a bright future for these magnificent cats,” says Stuart Chapman, Leader of WWF’s global tiger program, Tigers Alive.

China estimates that there are now 70 wild tigers in the Northeast of China, up from an all-time low in 2010 of 20 individuals. Tigers require large, connected habitats and healthy prey populations.

The WWF says that the appearance of a tigress with five cubs should be treated as a beacon of hope for tiger conservation worldwide.

“It demonstrates that with sustained investment, science-based strategies, and community engagement, even the most endangered species can recover,” the organization adds.

Last week, PetaPixel reported on a filmmaker who used cinematic trail cameras to create a beautiful wildlife documentary that tells the story of grizzly bears interacting with red squirrels in Yellowstone.