I like tigers and admire their grace and beauty, but my neighbors love tigers - truly love them. The reason I know this is that they became caretakers of these wonderful animals. A friend of theirs had a tiger that he could no longer take care of and so they stepped in and said they would adopt him. This is one of the reasons why people should not have exotic animals (that are such cute little babies), these animals grow and no matter how sweet they are, they are still wild and are still dangerous. Eventually, you have to find a zoo to take them or have them euthanized. Most zoos no longer take exotic pets, so the latter will have to be done.
Our neighbors spent months getting permits, building proper fencing, contracting a vet that would take care of the tiger in case of emergencies and of course there are the regular preventative checkups also. The vet, being a reasonable person, would not consider looking at the tiger unless the tiger was asleep. The shot each time to put the tiger to sleep was priced at $600. Already, the couple have made numerous sacrifices and gone to the extreme to care for this newly adopted (full-grown, I might add) tiger. The expenses of caring for a tiger are astronomical and only a true tiger lover would be willing to make this sacrifice. Time went on, family and tiger bonded and were very happy together. The phone rings and someone says, "I heard you adopt tigers that we can no longer take care of." "Well, we have one, not sure if we could handle another." "We don't know what we are going to do with him, could you please consider taking him."
Another tiger was welcomed into the family. Of course, since he is a male they cannot be in the same run, so they needed to build another run. Happiness goes on for a couple of years as the family bonds with another beautiful animal. Mind you, they are always dangerous, but they are very lovable and the neighbors can go into the runs with them; but as much as they love each other the humans must respect and be wary of the tiger's natural instincts. The tigers would never intentionally hurt their owners, but by their sheer size and power they can snap their neck in what was meant to be a lovable hug. They have no fear of their tigers, but extreme caution must be used when they are inside the run.
So now, a zoo in California ordered some tiger cubs from a zoo in Florida. The babies were born and it was a large litter, so the California zoo could not take them all. The phone rings again and it was the Florida zoo announcing that they had a female cub that no one wanted and would you please take her. By this time, there is no question in their minds that they would take her, but yet another enclosure had to be built and then when she was old enough she would have to be neutered or it would cause all kinds of problems between their boys. And life continues.
The phone rings, "We have the cutest lioness cub.... "
So far, they have four very big babies who love being the center of attention. It is a joy to be able to visit and pet them (through the fence), listen to their purring and other talking noises they make, watch their comical shows and playfulness, and see them in all their majesty relaxing in the safety of a shelter where they will live a long happy life. My hat is off to these true tiger lovers, they are wonderful, caring people who love their babies and give them the best care available.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
TYPHOON
This is Typhoon; he is a large, sweet cat. He is a very happy Siberian-Bengal Tiger who is privately owned and lives with two other Bengal Tigers and a Nubian Lion.
This link is to Tiger Haven http://www.tigerhaven.org/ has many interesting things about the big cats. I am not affiliated with Tiger Haven, but thought you would enjoy reading about them.
Tigers are probably one of the most beautiful animals on our planet and are very good swimmers; they love the cold, and love the water. In the winter, their fur gets very thick and soft. Typhoon loves to show off and has many expressions and sounds that he uses to communicate with his family and their friends.
I cannot divulge the whereabouts of Typhoon and his family, but as you can see he and his friends are very content and love to smile for the camera. Here is another great tiger site:
Below are some FREE-STUFF links for kids:
I hope that you enjoy these sites, my grandkids love them!!!
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