Zookeepers Rub Tiger Cub In Urine And Hay, Then Hold Their Breath As New Mother Adopts Her

Zoya the Siberian tiger cub has been through a lot in her short life — but now she’s settling down.

Zoya was the only survivor in her litter, as her mother rejected her soon after she was born. The cub was a desperate orphan, and her caretakers at the Philadelphia Zoo knew they needed to take drastic action to keep her alive.

A thousand miles away, in Oklahoma City, a Sumatran tiger named Lola had given birth around the same time. Lola had three tiny sons, so zookeepers wondered if they could convince the new mama to adopt a fourth, her first daughter.

Adoption between tigers has successfully been documented before. However, Lola and Zoya are different species, and that kind of pairing had never been recorded. Regardless, zookeepers knew this was their best shot at giving Zoya a good life.

So, Zoya packed up and embarked on a 20-hour road trip across the country. When she arrived, zookeepers prepped the cub to meet her new mom by rubbing her in hay, cub urine, and the scents of her new brothers.

“Everybody just had their breath held, waiting to see what would happen,” said zoo curator Eddie Witte.

Check out the video below to see if Lola accepted Zoya into her little family, and please SHARE this sweet video on Facebook!