FORT WORTH — There are three new little faces to "ooh" and "aah" over at the Fort Worth Zoo.

The extremely rare Malayan tiger cubs were born on April 28, but their public debut was put off until Thursday.

Just like any toddlers, these cubs are very curious about their surroundings, frolicking in waters of the the Asian Falls exhibit area.

"There's actually 45 of them in U.S. zoos right now," said zoo spokesman Ron Surratt. "We estimate in the wild that there's less than 500 of these in the Malayan peninsula."

All tiger species are endangered, but Malayan tigers are considered to be critically endangered. That means breeding efforts at zoos are extremely important for the breed's survival.

This is the third litter of the Malayan tiger species born at the Fort Worth Zoo and the first births in five years.

The cubs will reach maturity in about three years