When a rare Siberian tiger gave birth to two baby cubs at a zoo in Sochi, Russia, keepers were overjoyed.
However, when the cubs’ mother refused to feed them, an unusual candidate stepped forward.
Special bond: Cleopatra the Shar Pei feeds her two adoptive children. When the two cubs’ mother refused to feed them Cleopatra took over mothering duties and is now giving them all her attention, zoo workers have said
Playful: Siberian tiger cub Plyusha gets the better of Shar-Pei puppy Fighter in the house in Socha, Russia
Luckily, Cleopatra had just had a litter of puppies herself, and freely accepted the cubs as her own.
Watch out: Clyopa stalks past 18-month-old baby Gleb, who shares the house with dogs, cats and tigers
Tussle: Clyopa battles with cat Masyanya. The month-old cubs have been welcomed into the house
Get off me! Plyusha and adoptive sibling Fighter playfight in the house of Yekaterina Khodakova
Zoo assistant director Viktoria Kudlayeva said the dog immediately gave the cubs all her attention.
‘She accepted them right away,’ Kudlayeva said. ‘She’s cleaning them and breast feeding them as if they were her own. And they also sleep together.’
New mother Cleopatra feeds Clyopa. The dog has mothered the tiger cubs since their mother abandoned them
Caring: Yekaterina Khodakova looks after the menagerie of pets, as well as her 18-month-old son Gleb