There’s usually a pretty sharp line between wild and tame. We don’t let lions and tigers roam the streets, after all. But now and then the line gets blurred, as you’ll see in this story from the Potawatomi Zoo in South Bend, Indiana.
Natasha Handshoe was 27 weeks pregnant when she and some friends visited the zoo. At the tiger habitat, Natasha was really excited when a female tiger came right up to the glass. She sat down, so close to the tiger yet separated by that nice, strong glass. When she tried to take a selfie, the tiger started pawing at the glass, leading Natasha to joke that maybe she should be scared. One of her friends suggested that maybe Mrs. Tiger could tell that her human visitor was pregnant and wanted to be nearby. Natasha liked the idea and stood up on the ledge and pressed her baby bump against the glass. Acting just like a (very large) house cat, the tiger started nuzzling her face against Natasha’s bump! It really did seem like the tiger could sense that Natasha was expecting a baby and the big cat’s maternal instincts crossed that inter-species and wild-tame barrier.
Brittany Smith-Osborne filmed this tender encounter on her cell phone. “We all realized that the tiger was very interested in her baby bump. I am so excited that I was able to capture that sweet moment!” The video, which we’ve posted for you below, has become a big hit on the internet.
How did you like this tiger’s irrepressible maternal instincts? Would you like to be nuzzled by a tiger, at least with glass in between you and the gorgeous creature? Let us know in the Facebook comments. Be sure to like and share, too: whatever they think of cats big or small, they’ll be won over by this wonderfully sympathetic tiger.
https://youtu.be/0jcMtO-122c
