Isabella, a golden retriever at the Safari Zoological Park, east of Caney, Kan. nurses Wednesday, July 30, 2008, three white tiger cubs she adopted after they were abandoned by their mother at the park. The cubs were born on Sunday.
(AP Photo/The Daily Reporter, Rob Morgan)
Golden retriever adopts 3 tiger cubs at Kan. zoo
Isabella, a golden retriever at the Safari Zoological Park, east of Caney, Kan. nurses Wednesday, July 30, 2008, three white tiger cubs she adopted after they were abandoned by their mother at the park. The cubs were born on Sunday.
(AP Photo/The Daily Reporter, Rob Morgan)
CANEY, Kan.—Oh, my! Three tiger cubs at a Kansas zoo are getting some maternal care from an unlikely source -- Isabella the golden retriever.
The tiger cubs were born Sunday at Safari Zoological Park but their mother soon stopped caring for them. Isabella had just weaned her own puppies and was able to step in.
Zoo owner Tom Harvey says, "The timing couldn't have been any better."
He says it's unusual for dogs to care for tiger cubs, but it does happen. Isabella licks, cleans and feeds the cubs just like her own puppies.
Safari Zoological Park specializes in endangered species. It has leopards, lions, baboons, ring-tailed lemurs, bears and other animals.
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Information from: Independence Daily Reporter.
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