Tuesday, November 30, 2010

These pussycats are NOT afraid of water: Meet the Bengal tigers who just love splashing around

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Mine! Two tigers fight each other in a pool as Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in California, U.S., as they chase chunks of meat


Most cats run away at the first sign of water, but as these purr-fect paddlers show some just love to make a splash.

The trio of unusual underwater playmates fight each other underwater as they chase after a chunk of meat at the Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Zoo, near San Francisco.

Big cats are known to use water as a way of cooling down but it is rare to see so many striped swimmers enjoying the pool.


Cat-fight: The two adult males cause a real splash as they battle against each other in front of hundreds of spectators


Odin, a nine-year-old white Bengal male, is the leader of the tiger pack while Fedor, a six-year-old Siberian tiger, is also a keen swimmer.

But two-year-old white Bengal male Nalin and female Bengal Akasha are the stars of the show.

Trainers Jonah Lime, Lee Munro and Shawn Fortney have all worked with tigers for more than 10 years.


There's someone on your tail: Odin, a white Bengal tiger, closes his eyes as he chases after his rival



Top cat: Two of the tigers grapple in the water during their show


Nancy Chan, who works at the zoo, said: 'Our tigers just seem to love submerging themselves in water.

'It all started a few years ago when we noticed one of our tigers called Kuma loved jumping in.

'Another cat started copying and now all of our tigers just seem to follow suit.
'Sometimes we throw meat in for them to dive after as motivation but often they don't need any convincing.

'Audiences are utterly astounded when they see them in action, it's safe to say they are the most popular animals at the zoo.'


source: dailymail


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