A white tiger, already the mother of 49, gave birth to five cubs at the Xiangjiang Safari Park in Panyu, Guangzhou on Tuesday.  

This was the 13th litter by Kaili, a 9-year-old white tiger introduced from Sweden in 1997, the Yangcheng Evening News reported.

The family of more than 54 white tigers could become the world's biggest, thanks to Kaili's fertility and China's achievements in artificial reproduction of tigers, the newspaper said.

Kaili gave birth to four cubs in April and was found pregnant again in July. Ah Ming, her keeper, said her previous pregnancies had always taken about 105 days.

The sire is a tiger from the United States.

Kaili has set a record in reproducing white tigers with human assistance. In 1998, she gave birth to a record six cubs.

Her offspring accounted for nearly one quarter of the world's white tigers, the newspaper said. Three of her female offspring had also become prolific breeders.

(Shenzhen Daily September 8, 2004)