VIDEO: Baby Tiger and Witbank Dog Are Best Friends
A video of a Bengal Tiger cub that has become best pals with a puppy from Witbank went viral last month and continues to rake up hundreds of thousands of views from across the world.
The German Pointer Puppy, named Chelsea, in fact, is locally bred and hails from the Matotoland Kennel right here in eMalahleni.
Three-month-old tiger ‘Hunter’ was born at The Farm Inn Wildlife Sanctuary in Pretoria.
The video was first published by Barcroft TV and viewers cannot get enough of the adorable clip that shows an inseparable duo.
They are taken for walks together every day – where they play-fight, wrestle and stalk one another through the grass.
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According to the original article, Hunter had to be separated from his mother, who was showing aggression toward him. Now his friendship with Chelsea seems to keep him happy and occupied.
The German Pointer was sold in December last year to the Sanctuary by local breeders and joint owners of the Matotoland Kennel, Francois vd Walt and Jacob Cilliers.
According to Francois the pups mother was imported from Charles and Donna Rose of WildRose GSP from the USA, Seymour, Texas.
He said that although it’s a rather unusual friendship, it made sense that a German Pointer would be able to bond with a tiger in such a manner.
German Pointer’s are extremely energetic and highly intelligent. The constant need for stimulation and activity combines well with the natural behaviour of a tiger, and in this case it seems to be a perfect combination, said Francois.
He added, “This puppy is from our WildRose lines. They are so biddable and have such a will to please that she was a natural fit for such a role”
Between Charles, Francois and Jacob, they have over 50 years combined experience with the breed.
The enthusiastic puppy gets the better of the cub in their mock-fights. But when Hunter reaches six-months-old the pair will need to be separated for the dog’s safety.
- For more information on the Matotoland Kennel in Witbank and the work they do visit http://gsp-bullet.blogspot.com