Tigers are fearsome jungle cats that are near-universal symbols of ferocity, toughness and courage, however 57-year-old Janice Haley of Orlando, Florida has a different perspective on the issue. To her, they’re also cuddly kitties.
When you see her have fun with her two pets, 400-pound Bengal tiger Janda and 600-pound white Bengal tiger Saber, you’ll recognize why– they’re about as loving and playful as their tiny domesticated cousins.
” As far as they’re worried, I am mother,” explains Haley. “They rub me in the face, they’ll let me kiss them on the nose.” The two tigers live in an enclosure in her backyard and are fed by hand 3 times a day.
Everything began in 1995, when Haley decided to stop her boring desk work and, at her husband’s advice, begin working with exotic animals. She has actually had quite a few different big cats ever since, and lots of volunteers to help take care of them and play with them as well.
Photo byBarcroft TV
” People who consider it cruel to keep them in captivity have a factor, to a factor,” conceded Haley. “It is not the ideal place for a tiger to be, in a cage.