Answer: Throw it into the water.
MSNBC’s Photo Blog has an incredibly endearing series of photos of two young Sumatran tiger cubs undergoing their requisite swimming tests. The explanation?
Two Sumatran tiger cubs born Aug. 5 took a swimming test to show their ability to keep their heads above water, navigate the shallow end of the moat, and climb onto dry land. The cubs had to pass before they could go on exhibit at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. At least one of the cubs didn’t look too happy about the experience. The two will be on public display Nov. 18.
By all means, if you’re near D.C. go see these cubs after Nov. 18. And if anybody out there can somehow provide me with the opportunity to pet or hold a tiger cub (a lion cub will do as well), remember that that is my fondest dream: the one thing I desperately want to do before I die.
Now, check these photos out (captions from the MSNBC piece):
h/t: Michael
Can cats be trained when young to enjoy water?
Tiggers are uncommon amongst the cats at being (mostly) confident and comfortable swimmers. Though judging from the #2 photo, some are happier than others.
Unlike lions, tiggers are not dry plains hunters, but wet forest hunters. If they weren’t at least confident around water, their ranging would be severely limited.
The origin of our domestic moggie is largely in middle-eastern rodent hunters, so they’re not descendents of water-familiar animals either.
‘Tigger’ is exactly what I was thinking about that first picture, Bandar seems to be bouncing on his tail.
Probably if you introduce it to the animal gradually. I wouldn’t recommend this all or nothing tiger treatment for any kitten, though.
This household’s cat enjoys ít and will happily play with running water in the sink and it has no problem with roaming outside during a small shower. Although being outside when it is raining heavily is a no no.
Jaguars and fishing cats are two other species that routinely use water in their daily existence.
Tigers in the Sundarbans have been known to swim towards and jump into boats to drag off and consume fisherman. They’re generally quite at home in the water.
Share your dream entirely. Love the moggies large and small. Have held a mountain lion cub. Glorious little creature.
Lucky you! Would love that too. And any feline cub, bear cub or baby wolf or fox, etc etc.!
LOL those faces! Such upset little guys! I don’t care how small Bandar might be, if I saw that face in the second picture coming at me, I’d think twice about trying to fuzz da kitty.
To mis-quote the inimitable Flanders and Swann, “That ‘aint a tigger, that’s a Kzintosh!”
I was thinking the same thing. Chuut Riit would be very displeased with the monkeys making light of their masters.
That tiger was like “WTF, man!”
I was thinking “What the hell just happened ?!”.
Definitely a bit of righteous indignation / sense of betrayal going on….
b&
Yes, totally. “SSSSSS….I hate you!”
I was lucky enough to go to another magician’s New Year’s party. One of the other guests was a big cat trainer who had bought his new lion cub along, so we all got to hold and take a picture of it. I was surprised how coarse it’s fur is – much like stroking a thick sweater.
Unfortunately I can’t help hook you up. The fiance of the trainer in question was accidentally mauled by one of his tigers, died, and he’s kind of dropped off the map.
Sometimes the opportunity arises in Vegas. I as at the MGM Grand the same year as the above New Year’s party, and they had some lion cubs that you could interact with for $100/5 minutes. Timing your trip to Vegas with a recent birth would be the challenge.
Tiger: So you’re Pitsko? Lemme tell you what I am.
And as far as the bucket wish, has anyone from close by (like GWU) ever invited you to speak? Someone like that oughtta have connections.
I’m trying to imagine giving Baihu a “swim test.” I don’t think I’d come out of it alive with anything less than full battle armor.
And those cubs are bigger than Baihu!
b&
Youtube videos of this same tiger swim test:-
HERE & HERE
Both worth a look ~ the second link has a short underwater segment
Priceless photos!
I’ve had cats that enjoyed swimming.
Not so huge on cub petting.
http://bigcatrescue.org/abuse-issues/issues/pet-cubs/
The article you link to is about cubs torn from their mothers and lugged around to be petted for pay. That is NOT the kind of petting experience I want; I want to go to a zoo and maybe pet one when the keepers are taking care of it.
Your link is a misrepresentation of what I want.
I petted a young tiger (about the size of a labrador) in a South African zoo where a friend worked. They are HEAVY and – good grief- the PAWS. It was right on the borderline on a grinning with joy experience and a running away because it’s a PREDATOR experience. Make sure you get a little one if possible.
I don’t think Jerry has mall cubs in mind. I rather got the impression that he’s fishing for a zookeeper somewhere to get him a minute or so of behind-the-scenes time during a veterinary exam, or something along those lines.
b&
For the record, I posted my reply before I saw Jerry’s….
b&
Yeah, yeah. We know you guys secretly practice ESP.
😉
Hey, I’m nothing if not telepathetic….
b&
I sensed that….
Certainly if somebody wants to interact with / pet felid cubs, that’s the way to do it. It’s just unfortunate, to my mind, that the demand to have these sorts of interactions also leads to a great deal of deplorable conditions for many of the animals.
That said, if the conditions are controlled to minimize stress on the animal, and performed by professionally trained workers with animal welfare in their minds, I think it would be understandable.
Another possibility is to make a contact in the Fish and Wildlife Service or another research organization, and find a way to join them when collaring / tagging cubs in the wild. The interaction is generally not one to take lightly, but would put you as close as possible to the ‘real deal’. Cats in zoos and cats in the wild are wholly different beasts, and it takes encounters with wild felids to truly see their nature.
Note that on a capture operation you wouldn’t be petting the cubs, or potentially even handling them, but I would think that even being in their presence would have its own value.
Reblogged this on HUMAN RIGHTS & THE SIEGE OF BRITAIN POLITICAL JOURNAL.
Can’t. Resist. The. Urge….
With regard to the post title, “How do you piss off a baby tiger?”
The answer is “Fearlessly, and with an incredible sense of balance.”
Thank you. Tip the wait-staff. I’ll be here all week.
Reblogged this on Mark Solock Blog.
I have a membership to the Smithsonian zoo, but I doubt that’s anywhere good enough to get either of us into direct tiger contact. But I’ve never looked into what members really get other than free parking, so there might be members only tiger cub visit nights or something.
There’s a cheetah sanctuary just outside of Cape Town where they have tame cheetahs that you can pay to stroke. They also sometimes have cubs and bat-eared foxes. Though petting the cubs is way more expensive. They use the money to train Anatolian shepherds to keep cheetahs away from farmer’s herds. They aren’t exactly lions but they look a lot better than lions.
I got to pet a tiger cub and found out that I was HIGHLY allergic to the fur – a good evolutionary reaction to tigers?
My partner got to pet a massive adult tiger. One of the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen. Had his photo taken too. At the end of her leash was attached another exotic female. I was allergic to the latter. 🙂 (True story.)
Reblogged this on My Journal.
Sriracha tiger zoo in Thailand, you can sit with a full grown tiger for your picture or with a cub. The cubs are suckled by pigs.
You can also assist crocodiles hatchlings from their eggs.
In Kuwait lots of people have cheetas and leopards as house pets I’m sure they would let you pet them.