Mongrel becomes surrogate mother for baby big cats at village zoo in Omsk region.
'The mother, regrettably, refused to breast-feed them, so they are being take care of by our attendants and a foster mother - dog Dora. Picture here and below: Bolsherechensk zoo
The stray dog has taken the cubs as her own and breast feeds them after the Amur tigress Aza rejected the pair.
'Siberian tigress Aza gave birth to two lovely but weak cubs, said a spokesman for the Bolsherechensk zoo.
'The mother, regrettably, refused to breast-feed them, so they are being take care of by our attendants and a foster mother - dog Dora.
'The cubs enjoy good care - proper feeding, massage, regular walks outdoors.'
'Now the cubs are kept in special warm premises. A veterinarian doctor is keeping an eye on them practically round-the-clock.
'The cubs enjoy good care - proper feeding, massage, regular walks outdoors.'
According to zoo attendants, the tigress might have abandoned her cubs because they were born too weak and in the wild.
According to zoo attendants, the tigress might have abandoned her cubs because they were born too weak and in the wild.
Such weak cubs typically don't survive, but in captivity there is no reason for them to be in peril.
Tigress Aza was born in Bolsherechensk in 2009.
The cubs' father, three-year-old tiger Graf, was brought to Bolsherechenks from Krasnodar Zoo some 18 months ago.
Archeologists discovered a new stone bracelet, two sharp pins, a marble ring and fox tooth pendants.