Submitted Photo Two of the four Amur tiger cubs born at Minot's Roosevelt Park Zoo in May 2025 soak up sun rays in the Amur Tiger River Valley outdoor exhibit at the zoo.

Slightly more than a year ago, four tiny critically endangered Amur tiger cubs entered the world at Roosevelt Park Zoo in Minot.

The cubs, born May 19, 2025, were the second litter born to mother Zoya and the first offspring to father, Finn, according to zoo information. Their births signified a major step forward in the Minot zoo’s contribution to tiger conservation efforts globally.

“These cubs represent a major, positive step forward to our efforts to support the global population of Amur tigers,” Dr. Logan Wood, zoo director, said in an announcement shortly after the cubs’ birth.

Having four tiger cubs has created a great deal of attention from guests visiting the Minot zoo. Amur tigers typically give birth to one to four cubs and also five cubs but having five cubs is considered rare.

The cubs, weighing 3 pounds at two or three days old, now weigh about 120-140 pounds, according to Chelsea Mihalick, zoo curator. She said they will be fully grown when they are 3, 4 or 5 years old.

After the cubs were born, they remained off public display until making their official public debut in the Amur Tiger River Valley outdoor exhibit on International Tiger Day, July 29, 2025.

To help raise funds for conservation, the community was asked to help name the four cubs and on International Tiger Day July 29, the 69th Bomb Squadron at Minot Air Force Base was recognized for naming the cubs.

The two female cubs were named Buffy and Afkai, and the male cubs were named Brogan and Koshmar.

According to information provided by the 69th Bomb Squadron on how they came up with the names for the cubs, “The Buff” is the name of the B-52 the 69th Bomb Squadron flies and Buffy is the more feminine name. Afkai is a term used in World War II prior to the bombers getting call signs. Brogan is for Mike Brogan, who was the longest serving and most decorated B-52 pilot in history. Koshmar is Russian for “nightmare” and the slogan of the squadron and booster club – “We make nightmares.”

The tiger cubs are expected to remain at the Minot zoo through the remainder of the summer. When they leave the zoo, they will be going to other institutions, Mihalick said.