Dog adopts and suckles abandoned tiger cubs!

CANEY, Kansas - July 31, 2008 - A golden retriever has adopted three abandoned tiger cubs, suckling them and caring for them as if they were her own. The adoption happened at the Safari Zoological Park in Kansas. They were born on Saturday, and their mum stopped caring for them.

Zoo staff put the tigers in the care of the golden retriever, who took to her new charges right away. Tiger cubs develop at approximately the same rate as puppies, and the mother dog had recently weaned her own litter.

Park owner Tom Harvey said: "The timing couldn't have been any better," and he added that the dog licks, feeds and cleans the cubs. The Safari Zoological Park specializes in endangered species.