It’s been six weeks since veterinarian Doris Tesch could hardly believe her eyes: A tiny tiger cub was lying in a basket in front of her door. She doesn’t know who released the tiny animal, but she suspects that circus employees are behind it. The mini big cat was not older than three days, completely dehydrated and lay motionless in her basket, recalls Doris Tesch in the “Mitteldeutsche Zeitung”, which refers to the “dpa”. As can be seen in the video, the wild cat has recovered well in the meantime.
Doris Tesch didn’t think about simply giving up the cuddly little tiger: “Everyone told me that I couldn’t get Diego through. But that’s okay, I got him nursed up with infusions!” It was her daughter’s idea to name the little guy Diego, like the saber-toothed tiger from Ice Age. In the “BZ” video, the vet says that the first few days were a struggle, but after two weeks the worst was over; since then Diego has developed wonderfully.
Meanwhile, little tiger is nuzzling his foster mom’s hand and testing his newfound powers. Luckily he doesn’t have any teeth yet, otherwise it could be very painful for his rescuer. She only has to be careful with her claws, explains Doris Tesch – they are already sharp as knives. Little Diego is allowed to romp around in the vet’s garden for another two to three weeks, then he’ll move to the Felidae wildcat center in Tempelfelde, reports the “Mitteldeutsche Zeitung”. Until then, the keepers in the wildcat center still have to build a nice enclosure for the foundling. In order for him to really feel comfortable there, the little striped pompom has to do a DNA test. This is the only way to determine which tiger species it belongs to and to respond to its needs. Some tigers like to be outside in winter, but others need a warm shelter.
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