Hidden cameras capture newborn rare tiger cubs playing at London Zoo

London Zoo has announced the birth of three of the world's rarest tigers, who were born last month to five-year-old Sumatran tigress Melati.

The triplets were all born within an hour of each other on February 3, following a 106-day pregnancy.

The birth was captured onremote camera technology, with the zoo releasing images of the cubs in the first few weeks after birth.

Mother Melati and her cubs remain together inside special "cubbing dens" with the tigress only occasionally venturing away from her babies for food.

Zookeeper Teague Stubbington said: "We couldn't be more delighted with our new arrivals, and with how Melati is responding to her three cubs.

"We've been observing them 24/7, and one of us is always on duty to keep an eye on the little ones throughout the night. We've even been able to observe key milestones like their eyes opening and their tentative first steps."

She added: "While we still don't know whether they're boys or girls, we're starting to see their personalities develop. We've nicknamed one Trouble, as it's much bolder than the others - it was the first to start exploring its den, and we've spotted it waking up its siblings when they fall asleep."

The birth of the cubs comes less than six months after the death of the zoo's first Sumatran tiger cub in 17 years.

Keepers at the zoo were left ''very distraught'' after the cub was found drowned on the edge of the pool inside the tigers' enclosure, two weeks after its birth in October.