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Why you shouldn’t be laughing at these obese tigers

2/08/2017
A series of photos showing obese, sick tigers lying around a ‘tiger park’ have sparked outrage from conservation charities.



The animals have reportedly been drastically overfed by their carers at the Siberian Tiger Park in Harbin City, northeastern China.

When they’re in good shape in the wild, Siberian tigers are extremely swift and nimble – fit enough to go running and hunting.

But these poor cats can only flop about on the floor.

Pic shows: Recent photos of the fat tigers in Harbin, China; By Scott Feng A set of hilarious photos now going viral online shows how a group of endangered tigers have been letting themselves go and are now extremely fat and bloated. The otherwise swift and nimble Siberian tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) can now only lounge around on the ground as they haul around their giant tummies, made big by caretakers giving them a constant supply of fresh meat. The rare cats are all living in captivity at the Siberian Tiger Park in Harbin City, capital of north-eastern Chinaís Heilongjiang Province, where the majority of them were born and hand-reared by breeders. The facility is the worldís largest and foremost institution for the speciesí conservation efforts, which have been a tremendous success over the years. The animals live such a comfortable life, it seems, that they can even afford to fatten themselves up for the winter, to the degree now being illustrated in the viral snaps. While their kin in the wild may not have the luxury because of the scarcity of prey in the winter season, these lucky cats need not worry about any shortages of food. Visitors at the park, as well as netizens on social media site Sina Weibo, have expressed concerns over the Siberian tigersí apparent "obese" state, but breeders have assured them that there is nothing to worry about. Staff at the park said it is common for the tigers to put on weight, especially as temperatures in Harbin reach a bone-chilling minus 30 degrees Celsius in the winter. The excess weight helps keep them keep warm, and it is usually shed by the time spring and summer come around. The Siberian Tiger Park boasted more than 90 tiger cub births in 2016 and continues to lead conservation efforts for the species, classed as "Endangered" by the International Union For Conservation of Natureís Red List of Threatened Species. The cats are native to north-eastern China, the Russian Far East, as well as parts of North Korea, with only around 400 to 500 breeding individuals estimated to be left in the wild today.

As a result, both visitors to the park and people who have seen the photos online have become extremely worried about the tigers’ ‘obese’ state.

Park workers claim there is nothing to worry about – alleging that it is common for tigers to put on weight over the winter months. The excess weight, they claim, is usually shed by spring.

Source: http://metro.co.uk/2017/02/07/heres-why-you-shouldnt-be-laughing-at-these-obese-tigers-6433301/

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