Canine Connection

Something interesting is going on at the Safari Zoological Park in Caney, Kansas. Apparently, a white tiger gave birth there and than refused to care for her newborn cubs. Not wanting to lose the three tiger cubs, the zoo’s owner found a Golden Retriever who had just weaned her puppies to replace the cubs’ mother. Isabella the Golden Retriever is now caring for the cubs as if they were her very own.

The idea of this just fascinates me. At shelters I’ve worked for in the past, I remember placing orphaned puppies and kittens with mothers (of the same species) whose babies had been weaned, usually with excellent results. I just don’t think it would have ever occurred to me to replace a wild mother with a Golden Retriever. Pretty wild. I’m curious to see how the cubs do under Isabella’s care especially as cats and dogs have different nutritional needs. And poor Isabella. I hope they find an alternate means of getting the tigers fed once their teeth start to come in!

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