AP
Brand new Sumatran tiger mom, Damai, is seen nursing her two new cubs through a web cam at the Washington, D.C. zoo after their birth Monday.
Zookeepers are seeing double with the birth of two adorable Sumatran tiger cubs Monday.
Washington's Smithsonian Zoo is said to be roaring with excitement over the new additions with the critically endangered species said to have dwindled below 500 in the wild - and only 65 being in North American zoos.
Stunning first-time mom Damai is said to be doing well, with staff describing her as "a natural."
RELATED: RHINO CALF MAKES BRONX ZOO DEBUTShe can be seen on web cams regularly grooming and nursing her roly-poly babies in a bed of hay, as she enjoys ample private time to bond with them.
Though the cubs' eyes have yet to open, zookeepers say, "Damai lets the cubs crawl all over her, as if her body is a jungle gym."
"Damai came to us as a young tiger herself, so it's really special to see her become a great mom," said Smithsonian biologist and acting Great Cats Curator Craig Saffoe in a statement.
RELATED: BABY GORILLA BORN IN SAN FRANCISCO ZOODamai, aged 4, is one of two Sumatran tigers at the park, the other being a 12-year-old male named Javi with whom Damai mated several times from December 2012 through mid-April 2013.
"It's taken more than two years of perseverance getting to know Damai and Kavi and letting them get to know each other so that we could reach this celebratory moment," said Saffoe. "All I can do is smile because the team has realized our goal of producing critically endangered tiger cubs."
The zoo doesn't expect the cubs to go on exhibit until late this fall. In the meantime, they're available for viewing on the zoo's tiger cub cams.
RELATED: LUN LUN'S GIANT PANDA TWINS ARE TWO LITTLE BOYSBut the Sumatran tigers' birth may not be the only ones keeping D.C. zookeepers on their toes.
Mei Xiang, a Giant Panda, is also suspected to be in the very early stages of pregnancy according to watchful zookeepers.
Mei recently underwent an ultrasound and though veterinarians reported not finding a fetus they plan to keep monitoring her until the end of the breeding season.
In the meantime, Mei can be seen on panda cam entirely consumed with building a nest.
ngolgowski@nydailynews.com
