Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Tigers Make A Splash

Bengal tigers make a splash at the Out of Africa Wildlife Park in Arizona




Swimming Bengal tigers at Africa wildlife park in Camp Verde, Arizona, USA

These incredible pictures show fearsome 47-stone tigers splashing around with their keepers



Swimming Bengal tigers at Africa wildlife park in Camp Verde, Arizona, USA

As a man stands neck-deep in water a huge Bengal tiger leaps into the air above him with claws outstretched and jaws open



Swimming Bengal tigers at Africa wildlife park in Camp Verde, Arizona, USA

Luckily for this keeper he has nothing to fear as the only thing on the tiger's mind is catching his favourite toy



Swimming Bengal tigers at Africa wildlife park in Camp Verde, Arizona, USA

The incredible photos were taken at the Out of Africa Wildlife Park, in Camp Verde, Arizona, USA, as part of the tiger pool play time



Swimming Bengal tigers at Africa wildlife park in Camp Verde, Arizona, USA

For 30 minutes every day a pair of the zoo's six Bengal and Siberian tigers take to the 50 foot pool for fun and games



Swimming Bengal tigers at Africa wildlife park in Camp Verde, Arizona, USA

Aston Powell, from Out Of Africa, said the aim of playing with the tigers in this way was to enrich their lives



Swimming Bengal tigers at Africa wildlife park in Camp Verde, Arizona, USA

"To be honest if a 47 stone tiger doesn't want to play like this, there's not much we could do to make him..."



Swimming Bengal tigers at Africa wildlife park in Camp Verde, Arizona, USA

"Tiger Splash began in 1993 when the park purchased a SiberianTiger cub, Genesis, from a breeder in Florida..."



ash at the Out of Africa Wildlife Park in Arizona

Swimming Bengal tigers at Africa wildlife park in Camp Verde, Arizona, USA

"Genesis had several surgeries because of knee deformity, due to inbreeding, to get the problem corrected as much as possible..."



Swimming Bengal tigers at Africa wildlife park in Camp Verde, Arizona, USA

"Dean and Prayeri Harrison, the park founders and owners, never considered sending him back to the breeder because they believed he would most likely be put to sleep because of his problems..."



Swimming Bengal tigers at Africa wildlife park in Camp Verde, Arizona, USA

"Genesis didn't like the pool at all so they decided to offer it to the other cats to see their reaction. That's how Tiger Splash started..."



Swimming Bengal tigers at Africa wildlife park in Camp Verde, Arizona, USA

"It would not be our way to instruct others to care for their animals in the same way we do anymore than for them to tell us what we do is incorrect. It is about being one with the tiger and looking from the animals point of view, not our own."



Swimming Bengal tigers at Africa wildlife park in Camp Verde, Arizona, USA

There are estimated to be 2,100 wild Bengal tigers in the wild today in their native India and Bangladesh



Swimming Bengal tigers at Africa wildlife park in Camp Verde, Arizona, USA

As a sub-species the Bengal tiger is considered to be one of the largest of the breed, males can measure three metres from head to tail

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