Julian is one of six Amur tigers held at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo. Amur tigers, better known as Siberian tigers, are covered with thick, warm fur coats. These animals also have oversized paws that help them trek through snowy terrain.
Julian is one of the most playful tigers at the Bronx Zoo. Besides rolling around in the snow, he enjoys frolicking in the mud. This magnificent beast is always the dirtiest tiger in the bunch! Julian was five years old in this 2016 picture. He weighs 360 pounds. Amur tigers are the world’s largest big cats. These creatures naturally roam the Russian Far East all the way to China.
Oops!
This curious cheetah couldn’t believe his luck when a cardboard box ended up in his confinement at a Manhattan zoo. The cheetah sauntered over to take a look at the recent addition to its territory. Of course, the big kitty rubbed its face all over the box, leaving scent markers to make it his property. Incidentally, cats will also use scratching to mark property in an effort to keep other cats away.
When the large cat began exploring the new toy, sniffing it all over and checking out its various dimensions, something surprising happened! The curious cheetah slipped its head into the small opening at the bottom of the box, and it got stuck! Lifting its head, the box raised off the ground. Like a boxy helmet without a lens shield, the cheetah wandered around blind and humiliated. Thankfully, the shameful moment lasted only seconds.
Boxes, Boxes, and More Boxes
Here’s another caracal. This one is hiding its gracefully blackened ear tufts while it takes a nice leisurely nap. All cats love to conceal themselves inside undisclosed locations. They also prefer to stay snug. Cats require a warmer temperature.
The National Research Council determined that the thermoneutral zone for cats is between 86 to 97 degrees. Cats are most comfortable being super cozy, as if it was not obvious enough. Boxes provide a lot of insulation. The area inside a box is a perfect way for cats to preserve body heat and be insulated on all sides. See, it all makes sense now.
Rare White Lions in Captivity
This lion couple looks rather content. In 2015, the majestic cats gave birth to four white lion cubs. It’s a rare event when rare breeds in captivity produce healthy offspring. The all-male cubs were named Hank, Harrison, Oliver, and Gus. The four brothers were sent to a zoo in Quebec in early 2017.
Mama lion, Makali, lay here next to Fintan. They became proud parents on September 26, 2015. The cubs were slowly introduced to Dad and living as a pride. We hope it was a happy-ever-after situation for the lion family. Life in captivity can be tricky, so it's good to know that there are people out there running sanctuaries with the animals' best interests at heart.
Kittens!
Okay, fine, they’re called cubs, but these four Indochinese tigers are as cute as kittens, especially as they’re pictured in that adorable picnic basket. We can imagine they love to chew and scratch at it too. They are cats, at the end of the day.
These cubs were born at the Tierpark Zoo in Berlin. Indochinese tigers are from Southeast Asia. Most of the population lives in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and southwestern China. Since 2018, the Indochinese tiger has been considered critically endangered. The Indochinese tiger is now extinct in Cambodia, and, according to 2011 figures, the total population is only about 350.