VISITORS have helped choose names for Colchester Zoo's adorable new tiger cubs, raising more than £1,200 for a conservation charity in the process.

The smaller of the two brothers has been named Pasha, which means small and humble, and the larger male will be called Misha, meaning lord like.

Their sister has been called Tatana, which means father's daughter.

All of the names originate from Russia as the Amur tiger is native to the far-eastern stretches of the country.

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Visitors were asked to vote for their favourite choices in exchange for a donation to Action for the Wild's Wildlife Vets International project, which is helping conserve the endangered species. More than £1,200 was raised for the project in total.

Now eight-weeks-old, tiger cubs have also been taking their first steps outside into the big wide world over recent weeks.

A spokesman for Colchester Zoo said: "Mischa was the cub who ventured out first closely followed by mum Taiga keeping a close eye on him.

"Tatana is the shy one of the three and is much more reserved but the two boys are very playful and adventurous once outside.

"Mischa follows mum Taiga everywhere and therefore is the one who has explored their outdoor area the most with his siblings staying closer to their indoor den.

Amur tigers originate from the Amur Region on Russia's border with China with their habitat some of the coldest areas in the world.

They're also known as Siberian Tigers and are the largest and palest of all tiger subspecies.