Orphaned Tigers Cared for by Unlikely Savior

By David Mizejewski, Animal Planet

Wildlifeextra.com is reporting a fascinating story about two tiger cubs in India that were orphaned last year. The mother tiger died of a blockage in her intestinal tract, leaving her four month old cubs defenseless.

Tiger cubs stay with their mother for up to two years, nursing and then feeding off her kills, learning to hunt, and enjoying her protection from predators and male tigers, which are known to kill cubs. Based on this, wildlife managers felt it was unlikely the that the cubs would survive, even with feeding stations, and feared the worse when they disappeared.

And then, miraculously, the cubs appeared in photos taken by a camera trap some months later — strolling along with an adult male tiger, their likely father. In an unheard-of turn of events, the resident male tiger filled in for his deceased mate, apparently caring for the babies that he would have had nothing to do with under normal circumstances.

Wildlifeextra.com reports:

“Here was their father, the dominant male of the area, out on his regular territorial walk with his own small orphaned cubs. Nothing like this had ever been recorded before. A male tiger, taking on a mother’s role – and from such a tender age….

“The cubs are alive and well today, and history is being well and truly rewritten by this extraordinary father, after nearly a year of fatherly motherhood.”

The wild world is a tough one for young animals, and most don’t survive to adulthood. These highly endangered tiger cubs have a fighting chance, thanks to the odd behavior of this particular male tiger.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
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Marilyn T.

3:45PM PDT on May 17, 2013

Wow, awesome father!

May 17
send a green star

Kayleigh H.

10:34PM PDT on May 12, 2013

It seems like every time we think we've got nature figured out, it finds some way to surprise us. Just a reminder of how much we still have to learn.

May 12
send a green star

Camilla V.

9:30PM PDT on May 11, 2013

awesome, a wonderful daddy

May 11
send a green star

Lydia W.

5:07PM PDT on Apr 28, 2013

He nurtures them because he loves them. Love is stronger than instinct, more powerful than any force of nature. It is the essence of God present in His creation. This tiger has found the meaning of his life.