Zoo breeder walks young tiger in public
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E-mail Shanghai Daily, February 12, 2014
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| A breeder walks a young tiger in zoo's park in Jiaozuo in Henan Province. [photo / dahe.cn] |
Visitors to a zoo in Henan Province have been startled to see a staff member out walking a 6-month-old tiger on an iron chain leash in a public pedestrian area as if it were a dog, Dahe Daily reported.
The man, surnamed Hu, walks the young tiger at the People's Park zoo in Jiaozuo city in northwest Henan Province.
Curious passersby ask whether the tiger actually is a dog painted with dye, and some praise him as being "mighty and powerful" for how he handles the big cat. No one has been injured by the animal.
Hu said what he's doing actually is therapy for the tiger, which was born with a deformity of its hind legs. Veterinarians said the weakness of its hind legs resulted from calcium deficiency.
Hu said the tiger now can walk as a result of calcium supplements, the walks that he takes the tiger on every day to strengthen its muscles, and his massaging its legs for more than three months.
Tigers are endangered animals under first-class State protection, according to a zoo official surnamed Yang. The zoo is licensed to handle and breed tigers while individual residents are not legally allowed to do so.
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