Tigers live on the land, they like to hunt other animals, and they like to sleep a lot. Even a young tiger can reach 14 stone in weight, and if you get swiped by one of their paws, you are not going to get up again in a hurry. But don't tell the Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species, as they have decided a bit bonding between the animals and trainers is long over due.
They have started a policy of encouraging the trainers and the animals to start swimming with each other. Cats are not noted for their love of water. Any one who has ever had a pet moggie, and then to bath the beast, knows exactly what an ordeal it can be.
Tigers, however, love the water. They like a good swim. In that way they are different to the other big cats. They have modified webbing between their toes, and that allows their feet to work like flippers. It also makes them superior swimmers.
Not every one would feel comfortable getting any where near a tiger. Even tigers in captivity can be known to be cantankerous and bad tempered. But at the Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species, the trainers have been with the animals for some time and that encourages some trust between the trainer and the tiger.
It was thought that many of the animals needed more exercise, and swimming was one method of overcoming that problem. But why does a tiger need that exercise in the first place? In the wild the tiger could roam wherever it wanted and its natural lifestyle would keep it reasonably fit and healthy.
To see a tiger swimming may be a great sight, it also shows the level we have reduced these great cats to.
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