Who would’ve thought that sometimes cats and dogs do get along? A tiger cub that has been settling in at a Colorado sanctuary has made a new best friend in a rescue dog.
The tiger cub named Duke was seized by Albuquerque in New Mexico in January 2023 and was moved to Albuquerque BioPark. From there, the animal was taken to the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colorado, where it has since made friends with some pups.
Pat Craig, the sanctuary’s founder and director, said Duke has formed a bond with Valley, one of the sanctuary’s 10 rescue dogs that serve as companions for rescued cubs. Duke gets three play sessions a day with Valley and the other dogs.
“He has stuffed animals he likes to play with as well,” Craig said. “And so when he gets to run around in the clinic, that’s his big exercise. He has an outdoor area that he goes to as well, and he’s just about big enough now to start going up to his own little habitat.”
Duke will be introduced to other adult tigers once he’s around nine months to a year old. Keepers are hoping that the cub will then be able to bond with a foster mother.