Big, Wet, Love Kitties

December 31st, 1969 | Category: Miami Blog

via The Telegraph

It’s no big secret in the wild animal training community that big cat trainers are a bit envious of their dolphin training counterparts. Dolphins are gaga about their handlers: giving dolphin kisses, giggling with delight, and letting them hitch a ride during their swim. Tigers meanwhile are like “Ummm, I’m a Tiger. I can kill you. Please do not try to ride me, thanks.” It’s been a big hurdle in getting the cats to bond with their trainers, but the outpost of The Institute

of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (aka T.I.G.E.R.S, clever) at Jungle Island has gotten around all of that by taking a page out of the Sea World handbook: just add water.

The Institute has trained their big cats to peacefully swim with their handlers. The Telegraph has the article, with a bunch of pictures of the tigers swimming with their bikini clad trainers, but you can now see it up shut at Jungle Island.

–Kyle Munzenrieder

Original post by Kyle Munzenrieder

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