Animal Diaries Archive

Keeping it cool

29 September 2006

It seems that only a month or so ago, we were getting sunburn as we were playing with the cats in the summer sun. Well, nine months has passed and we are gearing up for another hot summer.

Like any animal, keeping tigers outside of their natural range involves some re-adjusting of their normal behaviour. We are very fortunate in that our climate is fairly close to that of the regions where tigers are normally found. The coat of a tiger undertakes the same cycle as domestic cats and dogs – it thickens up when the temperature drops and thins out when it warms up again. Our tigers are now starting to lose their winter coats but it does take a while, so until their coat adjusts to the climate, they are all taking it easy in the shade, as you can see with Juma in these photos; he enjoys the cool shade from the bamboo inside the Tiger Temple. If all else fails then roll on to your back and let the cool breeze pass over your belly.