BUENOS AIRES -- A white tiger has given birth to sextuplets, boosting the endangered animal's population, which had been estimated at 210 worldwide, Buenos Aires Zoo officials said yesterday as they allowed the cubs to play in public for the first time. The cubs' mother, Bety, delivered three males and three females on Nov. 18 after a 3 1/2 -month pregnancy, said zoo spokesperson Alejandra Durruty. The cubs, some of them with black-striped bodies and piercing blue eyes, are healthy and developing normally, she said.

It is the second time Bety and her mate, Conde, have become parents since they arrived at the Buenos Aires Zoo in 1997. Eighteen months ago, Bety gave birth to triplets.

The tigers -- which are not a separate species but white-coloured Bengal tigers -- are among only a few in South America, officials said. Hunted nearly to extinction in their native Asia, few white tigers remain in the wild and most are protected in zoos.

"We are absolutely thrilled," said Durruty. "Giving birth to six is extremely rare. We're happy they've had so much success reproducing in captivity."

Yesterday, dozens of children watched from behind plexiglass as the cubs cavorted in their pen.

Miguel Rivolta, the zoo's chief veterinarian, said the fuzzy-faced cubs are being fed with baby bottles and weigh between three and six kilograms.