Home   About   Log in    Register   Contact  
ZooChat ZooChat
Go Back   ZooChat > Europe > Europe - General

Notices
Welcome to ZooChat, the world's largest community built especially for zoo and animal conservation enthusiasts. Our discussion forums are full of fascinating information and news about zoos and animals, and our amazing collection of photographs of animals and zoos worldwide is unsurpassed. You may also find our zoo maps interesting and useful, and our chatroom is a great place to hang out and talk about your favourite zoos. Be sure to check out our site statistics and read more about ZooChat.
Membership is free » Join Now!

Putin gets tiger cub for birthday

 
 
LinkBack Thread Tools
Chlidonias's Avatar
Member
Offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Christchurch, New Zealand
Posts: 1,241
Photos: 482
  #1
Putin gets tiger cub for birthday
Old 11-10-2008
I wasn't sure where to put this but Vladimir Putin has been given a tiger cub for his birthday.....
The Associated Press: Russia's Putin gets tiger cub for his birthday
Quote:
MOSCOW (AP) — There's no doubt what Vladimir Putin's favorite birthday present is this year — a rare Ussuri tiger cub.

State television showed the Russian prime minister tenderly petting the 2-month-old female cub Friday at his residence outside Moscow. The cub, weighing about 20 pounds, was curled up in a wicker basket with a tiger-print cushion.

Putin said a good home will be found for the tiger, presumably in a zoo or wildlife preserve. He hasn't decided what to call her, but is leaning toward Mashenka or Milashka.

Putin refused to say who gave him the cub for his 56th birthday, which was Tuesday.

He called Russian journalists to his country home late Thursday without telling them why. Past midnight, after asking them "not to make noise, make a clatter or squeal," Putin ushered the curious journalists into the room where the tiger cub was waiting.

As president and now prime minister, Putin is known for his tough talk and macho image. But children and animals seem to bring out a softer side.

His dog, a Labrador retriever named Koni, is often with him, even during meetings with world leaders. He told journalists that Koni has not met the tiger cub.

In August, Putin had occasion to pet a full-grown female Ussuri tiger after shooting her with a tranquilizer gun. He was visiting a wildlife preserve in Russia's Far East and shot the 5-year-old tiger as part of a program to track the rare cats, also known as the Siberian, Amur or Manchurian tiger.

Once the tiger was asleep, Putin placed a collar with a GPS tracking system around her neck. Television footage showed him patting her cheek.

Fewer than 400 Ussuri tigers are believed to survive in the wild, most of them in Russia and some in China. They are the largest tiger species, weighing up to 600 pounds.
__________________
nod if you can read this
ashley-h's Avatar
Member
Offline
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 633
Photos: 26
  #2
Old 12-10-2008
Odd...
Wonder where he got it?
__________________
"If it's true that our species is alone in the universe, then I'd have to say that the universe aimed rather low and settled for very little."
-George Carlin
Chlidonias's Avatar
Member
Offline
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Christchurch, New Zealand
Posts: 1,241
Photos: 482
  #3
Old 13-10-2008
Sunday Herald: International: International
Quote:
In a photo opportunity that must have been dreamt up by Russia's equivalent of Alistair Campbell, the former Kremlin strongman invited journalists to his official residence outside Moscow to show off his favourite birthday gift: a female tiger cub.

Putin refused to say who had given him the cub, though local media speculated it was probably Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov, who has his own personal zoo.
__________________
nod if you can read this
Member
Offline
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: england
Posts: 5,045
Photos: 21
  #4
Old 14-10-2008
Tiger cubs have been presents for 'top' people before. There's an old /b/w photo of a former Shah of Persia(or a Prince) with a Tiger cub of the extinct(?) Caspian race.
 

« Okapi's | Black rhinos in Europe »

Bookmarks
Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On

All times are GMT +10. The time now is 12:25 PM.

Copyright © 2003-2008 Hampel Group Pty Ltd
(ACN 115 622 074)