# why are piglets sleeping with this tiger? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 21, 2006, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-piglets-sleeping-with-this-tiger/349288 "2006-03-21T15:23:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drhess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/94ad74/32.png) [@drhess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drhess)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-piglets-sleeping-with-this-tiger/349288/1 "2006-03-21T15:23:21Z")
What was the zoo trying to accomplish with this mmmm… therapy? Or just a gimmic to bring in crowds? [http://www.pbase.com/colind/image/32639321](http://www.pbase.com/colind/image/32639321) ---
**Author:** ![Crandolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Crandolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crandolph)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-piglets-sleeping-with-this-tiger/349288/2 "2006-03-21T16:10:55Z")
Piglet sleeping with Tigger seems to make more sense… ---
**Author:** ![CBCD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@CBCD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBCD)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-piglets-sleeping-with-this-tiger/349288/3 "2006-03-21T16:30:20Z")
Perhaps, and I am speculating, the tiger’s cubs had all died, and the zoo did not want her to despair, so the piglets were brought in as proxy cubs. This kind of thing does happen - see [this article](http://news.statesmanjournal.com/article_print.cfm?i=84647) about a Chihuahua nursing an ophaned baby chipmunk. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-piglets-sleeping-with-this-tiger/349288/4 "2006-03-21T16:33:50Z")
> [@drhess](#): > > [PBase.com](http://www.pbase.com/colind/image/32639321) Those are darling little tiger suits they’ve got on. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![drhess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/94ad74/32.png) [@drhess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drhess)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-piglets-sleeping-with-this-tiger/349288/5 "2006-03-21T16:42:44Z")
> [@CBCD](#): > > Perhaps, and I am speculating, the tiger’s cubs had all died, and the zoo did not want her to despair, so the piglets were brought in as proxy cubs. This kind of thing does happen - see [this article](http://news.statesmanjournal.com/article_print.cfm?i=84647) about a Chihuahua nursing an ophaned baby chipmunk. That’s kind of what I thought. But why so many? Maybe in case momma decides bacon is on the menu? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-piglets-sleeping-with-this-tiger/349288/6 "2006-03-21T17:23:47Z")
> [@Crandolph](#): > > Piglet sleeping with Tigger seems to make more sense… Pooh will kill him if he tries anything… ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-piglets-sleeping-with-this-tiger/349288/7 "2006-03-21T17:52:58Z")
Are the piglets actually _living_ with the tiger? Maybe they just knocked the tiger out to take the shot. It _does_ appear to be asleep after all. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-piglets-sleeping-with-this-tiger/349288/8 "2006-03-21T18:03:31Z")
Cross-species adoption isn’t all that uncommon. I remember being heartbroken by an article I read about a lioness in Africa. She lived on a wildlife refuge, so her behavior was recorded by researchers. Her cubs had died, and she kept stealing gazelle babies from their herd, and taking them back to her den to raise as her own. Unfortunately, the poor gazelle babies didn’t know what to do with the hunks of meat she brought them, so they kept starving. When one would die, the frustrated lioness would go steal another and try to raise it. I dunno what ever happened-- the last article I read said the researchers were considering intervening so that the lioness didn’t end up killing any more gazelles. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-piglets-sleeping-with-this-tiger/349288/9 "2006-03-21T18:37:39Z")
I would’ve guessed that it was just for the picture. Why does Anne Geddes have so many children that seemed to have been brought up by produce? ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-piglets-sleeping-with-this-tiger/349288/10 "2006-03-21T20:49:35Z")
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. **Isaiah** 9:1,6 ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2006, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-piglets-sleeping-with-this-tiger/349288/11 "2006-03-21T21:52:18Z")
FWIW, the picture seems to be from the Sriracha Tiger Zoo in Thailand: [http://www.thaiwaysmagazine.com/pattaya\_ad/tiger\_zoo/tiger\_zoo.html](http://www.thaiwaysmagazine.com/pattaya_ad/tiger_zoo/tiger_zoo.html) [http://www.thebigcats.com/news/2004\_0702\_tiger\_pig.htm](http://www.thebigcats.com/news/2004_0702_tiger_pig.htm) From another tourist blurb: > [@](#): > > 30 minutes drive from Pattaya, you will discover the greatest tiger zoo in the world with natural atmosphere and watch hundred of tigers in the tiger playground. Make some new friends as you pet and feed camels, deers, wallabies, rabbits, elephants, ostriches and the opportunity to have your picture taken with a baby tiger in your arms. Amazing “Happy Family” tiger, dog and pig live together peacefully and tiger cubs nanny, she feeds baby pigs with her own milk. Enjoy varieties of animal shows in such as tigers show, crocodile wrestling show, elephant show, pigs racing and “Scorpion Queen” a sexy lady with hundred of poisonous scorpions. You can also enjoy well-kelp, beautifully landscaped gardens with fragrance colorful flowers.