Emaciated tiger seeks urgent dental assistance
An endangered tigress walked out of the wild into a village ‘to seek human help over a severe teeth and gum problem’.
Neighbors were shocked to learn the animal had lay quietly on the porch in front of a remote home, in what experts say must have been a ‘desperate last resort’, mirror.co.uk wrote.
The condition of the rare predator — one of about 500 Siberian tigers living in their snowy natural habitat in eastern Russia — was deemed severe and urgent action was needed.
The big cats — the largest in the world — normally shun all human contact, but it was clear the exhausted and emaciated animal could no longer eat and needed urgent dental assistance.
Galina Tsimano, who lives in far-flung Solontsovy — 3,915 miles (6,300km) east of Moscow — explained how her neighbor on the outskirts of the village found the unexpected big cat on his doormat in the early morning.
“Alexey Khaideyev came across a tiger on his porch,” she said.
“He wanted to go out to the yard in the morning, but his door was pressed by ‘someone’ from outside.
“He began to push the door and heard a tiger growling.
“He went back inside and started calling all the emergency services.”
The predator did not let him approach too close nor did it pounce on him.
Tiger experts are sure the predator was seeking human help as a desperate last resort.
An emergency team came and sedated the animal then moved it to a rehabilitation center in Alekseevka Village. Here, specialists revealed it was around ten years old and female while also identifying an acute problem in the beast’s jaw.
Sergey Aramilev, director of the Amur Tiger Center, told The Siberian Times, “The tigress behaved absolutely peacefully, as if she was waiting for help,” “Nevertheless, the condition of the rare predator is severe and it needs urgent action.”
A fear that she had been wounded by poachers, a major threat to the survival of the species, proved unfounded.
“There were no visible injuries from firearms,” he said.
“However, there are problems with her oral cavity.”
Conservationist Yury Kolpak, from Russia’s Ministry of Natural Resources, said: “The tigress is thoroughly exhausted. She has serious gum problems and there are no upper teeth.”
It is likely her tiredness is due to being unable to eat properly, but the big cat is now feasting on ground meat.
“Now it is very important to provide the predator with qualified assistance.”
Vets are looking for ways to solve the animal’s dental problems but she is currently not strong enough to be put under a general anesthetic for major surgery.
Aramilev said, “We really hope that the tigress will pick herself up and survive.
‘“For our part, we are doing everything possible.”