Een dierenpark in Florida heeft een originele manier bedacht om de band tussen mens en tijger te versterken. Het Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species in Miami laat mensen en tijgers samen zwemmen in een aangepast bassin. In zee zwemmen met dolfijnen is er niets tegen.
Tigers are known as the best swimmers of all the big cats with modified webbing between their toes to make their feet more like flippers.
Although a number of wildlife parks have encouraged the animals to swim for exercise, the routine has usually consisted of little more than trainers throwing lumps of meat into the water for the tigers to collect.
Bhagavan Antle, director of the centre, said he wanted to give the 200lb, two metre long creatures an opportunity to exercise properly without giving them meat.
He also wanted the public to be able to appreciate the grace and power of the big cats in the water so he built a giant outdoor swimming pool expressly for the purpose.
Filled with 100,00 gallons of water, one side of the entire pool is made of glass, so the public can see the handlers and the animals up close swimming together.