Mulan the Bengal Tiger

A really stunning Tiger and obviously a great friendship but i'm not sure I would want to be so close, no matter how many kisses she gave me.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2542582/Moment-Mulan-Bengal-tiger-spots-master-Abdullah-Sholeh-Indonesia-greets-kiss.html

littlewid-x-

  That's an odd one, and somehow an accident waiting to happen as the clip showed.  It's lovely they have such a friendship but I would prefer that Mulan was wild and free and what happens if Abdullah moves away?

Thanks for the link Littlewid.

Lai

Saw this in the paper yesterday, and my immediate reaction was how stupid. Tigers are killers by instinct, and that instinct only has to kick in for a second, for the child to be killed, then in all proberblilty the Tiger would be shot. What on earth were they thinking of donating a Tiger Cub to a school, as you say Lai it should be put in the wild helping to repopulate the Tiger numbers

WS

:) Tigers & lions definitely have a killer instinct but there are people who are really close to them and if the animal share that trust the possibility of an attack is very less! and to develop such a trust you should know the animal from a cub! atleast that is what i beleave   

Well the same theory works for all animals, small or big ..i had a friend who had raised an orphaned Eagle, he took a few days to get the birds trust , till then he had a tough time to feed the dehydrated bird..once the bird trusted him their friendship began :)

i remember the documentaries of Kevin Richardson , the way he dealt with lions as if they were best friends !  

he had hand reared them, so they trusted him completely even after they were grown up and started living in the wild

i managed to find one of his documentaries, take a look at it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXnOzsRaYU0

I agree Radhu it is possible to raise some animals like your friends Eagle, and other raptors, you can habituate them, and they will bond with you as a mate. Birds, and animals that pair up will do that. Other animals like Lions live in a social structure, and Kevin, who's programs we've seen in the UK has the knowledge, and experience to become a part of that, and be accepted into it, although it still has its risks. Tigers are different, th'ey are a solitary animal by nature, and will only meet up for mating. It's possibly that you can form a bond with a cub, but it wont last. Once they start to mature the bond will start to breakdown. Cubs who have been brought up by Thier mothers have been known to turn on them, and fight them for their territory, even killing them, and there lies the danger to Abdullah. Wild animals should always be returned to the wild where possible as well
WS

Hi Radhu

It's great to see you here again   

It's lovely that your friend managed to build a bond with the eagle and also obviously save it's life as it was dehydrated, I am sure they will have a long friendship.

It would be lovely to think a Tiger cub could remain attached and safe with you as it became an adult but I agree with what WS has said. Tigers are solitary animals and do not live in any form of cohesive group so I am wondering if Mulan may not always be so friendly.

Kevin Richardson has become a member of the pack but I am sure even Kevin knows he is putting his life on the line with his Lions. Wild animals will always be wild animals and even pet cats and dogs can turn but I would rather trust a pet cat or dog than a Tiger or Lion. It would however be wonderful if Tigers were sociable cuddly cats, I would be first in the queue... they are my favourite big cat   

littlewid-x-

thank you so much LW & WS ..being a new mother of a 7 month old cub, i had to stay away from the forum for a while   

yeah this particular eagle had fallen off his nest and was dehydrated  when my friend found him..it took him lot of dedication and patience to get the birds trust but as u said once they were friends they were so inseparable and even after he tried releasing the bird, he would fly back to his house...he now released him far away from his house( at the very place he had fallen off from his nest) ! he didn't return to his house after that. possibly he couldn't figure the way back .

hopefully he is living happily now :) with a family of his own :)

yeah i agree with WS and LW that tigers are solitary and they cannot be compared to lions but somehow i feel its all about trust and love

and i too agree that wild should belong to wild, but there are lot of complications in having a hand raised tiger released to wild!
and in almost 80% of such scenarios are failures,coz of a hand raised animal will not get the hunting basics from its mother and will possibly starve in the wild!

  Radhu on becoming a new Mum, how exciting is that news, I am very pleased for you and you must be delighted. Do you have a little Girl or Boy?    to the world little one   

Hopefully the Eagle has made a life for himself and has raised a family of his own, if he was healthy when he was released I am sure he will be doing just fine and I have a lot of respect for your friend for putting a wild bird back in the wild, that was the right call as he started life in the wild that's where he should have gone back too.

I do understand where you are coming from with the trust and love aspect and my heart does go along the same lines but my head says it shouldn't happen. I think it's this forum that has made me understand that. I tend to come from a very wouldn't it be lovely if every animal loved every animal and all humans and animals could get along together, in my ideal world everything would be rosy but sadly that is not nature and at some point a wild animals wild instinct will kick in and that's when it could be catastrophic. I hope Mulan doesn't turn on his carer otherwise that could spell the end for Mulan and it wouldn't be his fault.

You are right that a lot of releases back to the wild don't work and that's why taking an animal into captivity has to be thought about really hard and can you be quite hands off when trying to rehabilitate them if the aim is to release them back. Saying that though there is a group of Gorillas that have been successfully released back into the wild from being in a zoo but Gorillas are different to Lions and Tigers and I believe it's easier for them to forage for their food and often when in captivity they have enrichment that encourages them to forage whereas Lions and Tigers need their mothers to successfully teach them to hunt and to generally teach them how to live a wild life successfully.

littlewid-x-

thank you LW, shes a baby Girl..weve named her Avantika :)

and my friends eagle was in good health when he was released but my concern was will he be able to hunt for himself.. being hand raised will make his life in wild tough..but if he find a mate life will be a success for him!

i know it would be heaven if every animal can co exist..but world is always unfair but fortunately mother earth maintains a balance :)
unless when humans interfere and make things worse like this!

raising a wild animal like this, gaining his trust and killing him is one of the wicked things man can do...

Many    Radhu - such wonderful and exciting news. Avantika is a lovely name, does it have a special meaning?

I hope you are both doing well and enjoying motherhood   

Lai

   On your Baby Girl cub   Radhu, that's lovely for you, and I hope you are both doing well.
I agree with your comments on wildlife, and mother nature would do fine on her own, if we humans would leave her to get on with it, without interfering. I wouldn't worry to much about your friends Eagle its instincts will kick in, and it will just have to hone its hunting skills
WS

What a beautiful name for your little girl Radhu   

I am sure your friends Eagle will be fine, his natural instincts will have kicked in and lets hope he did find a mate and that he is living the wild life he should be.

life is unfair at times especially when man has a hand in it. Mother Nature can also be cruel but at least that is Mother Nature and things do happen for a reason, when man is involved there is no excuse.

littlewid-x-

thanks Lai,WS and mom and cub are doing great   

yep Lai the name has a meaning -Princess :)

  Radhu - a wonderful name and a brilliant choice   

Lai

      A lovely pic Radhu - Avantika looks gorgeous.

Lai

thanks Doogs, lai :)

Avantika is beautiful Radhu, a real Princess thanks for sharing her photo with us

WS

:) thanks WS ...

we've got another tiny member in the forum  

Avantika surely is a little member of the forum Rhadu and she is very welcome. She is just so adorable Rhadu and she looks a very happy little girl, a beautiful smile and eyes. You must be incredibly proud of her.

   to WAA Avantika   

littlewid-x-

yeah LW like every mother i am very proud of my lil one , i love to see her toothless smile :)