Three Sumatran tiger cubs were born to Honolulu Zoo's female tiger Chrissie yesterday.

It was the first time tigers have been born at Honolulu Zoo since April 1981.

Chrissie, 9, was born at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. She came to Honolulu in 2005 via the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo in Indiana.

The cubs' father is Berani, also 9, born in the Phoenix Zoo. He came to Honolulu from Fort Wayne the same time as Chrissie.

The gestation period was 107 days, a city news release said.

Chrissie and Berani are part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan for Sumatran Tigers, a structured breeding program designed to maximize genetic variability in the captive population. Chrissie and Berani previously produced a litter of two males and one female at the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo on April 22, 2004.

The cubs born yesterday will not be named for several weeks, and may be moved to other zoos as part of the Species Survival program once they have matured.

There are 41 male and 27 female registered Sumatran Tigers in captivity in 25 zoos within the United States and Canada, Honolulu Zoo officials said.

Before yesterday, the last time tigers were born at the Honolulu Zoo was on April 27, 1981, to a pair of Bengal/Siberian hybrids, Tex and Marybell.

They produced a litter of five cubs, two of which were stillborn. Another cub died shortly thereafter, leaving one male and one female who were eventually sent to other zoos.