[WhiteTiger]

Hello

I am Alexi

I live usually in Russia, but since my parents are activists against the hunting of wild cats. We move around a lot.

I have no way of posting pictures. I am ever so sorry. But my little brother, Segri, accidentally broke the digital camera a while back.

We won't be able to get another one for some time.

I have lived in Russia all my life, so please forgive me if I appear rude, I am not used to American ways.

But I would be filling to describe the VERY UNUSUAL pets that I have as friends. They are all felines.

All of the animals below are listed as endangered, Snow Leopards and Siberian Tigers. My parents and I saved them when they were found wounded or no longer wanted and therefore unable to survive in the wild.


I have decided to share some stories about my cats with you.



First, Taya, a female Snow Leopard that had being originally caught in a hunter's steel trap which my father broke and brought her home.

When I first met Taya, she had my father's jacket wrapped around her mouth to keep her from biting and the claws of her left forepaw, which weren't damaged in the trap, digging into his arm.

She was a mess, covered in blood and terribly frightened. It took me and my father both to restrain her while my mother exmained the right forepaw which had literally being torn away by the trap. She had just one third of her paw's actual width when my father freed her, for she had being chewing on her foot trying to get loose.

Once the paw was banaged, she was given a drug that put her asleep. It was late, so my parents went to bed, after bandaging my father's arm. I stayed awake to make sure that Taya made it through the night.

The night day, she was much better, though she wasn't able to put any weight on her damaged forepaw. At this point, my brother, Segri, had returned from a night over at a friend's house. The funny thing was, was that Tata was sitting by the door watching outside the the second Segri walked in, she batted him to the floor and started licking him.

At first I thought she was making him tender for a meal, but the thing was, was that she smelt Alfo's scent. [Alfo was an old female Snow leopard who sadly passed away last year]. Once everything calmed down, and Taya's paw started to heal, it became apparent that she was not going to be able to return to the wild.

We've had her ever since.



Second, Rayo, she is a beautiful solid white 8 foot long female Siberian Tiger. She has blue eyes and hardly any stripes.

Rayo had been originally kept by a person who had grown up with my father and had learnt many things about keeping Tigers. My father had actually been present when Rayo had been born a few years ago.

Rayo is the kindest more gentle hearted animal in the world. She is like one VERY BIG housecat. Her old master, Segro, trained Rayo since she was a very young cub to put up with tugging and pulling of her body. The reason was because Sergo's son, Alexender, had a serious mental disorder and was only able to grasp onto Rayo's fur and body to touch her.

When Alexender died, Sergo sent Rayo to a nursing home where her patience and beauty could soothe up the lives of the elderly living there. When I was visiting the home with my mother, we ran into the person who tended to Rayo.

She was not well kept at the home because they did not have a lot of money to use. So we took her off of their hands. She lives with us now and every week makes visits to the home.



Third, Oayo, is a male Snow Leopard that was owned by a rich Russian doctor. He is the least I know about cause I was in America when he arrived at my parents place.

Oayo was born a captive, he was originally supposed to be in a small Russian circus but the circus closed down and he was sold to a rich Russian doctor.

This doctor wasn't the brightest person, how he became a doctor, I am not sure. But he saw Oayo as a toy rather than an actual living animal and he paid lots of money to have a small area of his land turned into a circus area of tricks and blocks that not even a fully grown male Siberian Tiger can tackle little alone a young Snow Leopard.

Whenever Oayo wouldn't obey, no matter how hard he tried, the doctor would hit him in the face. When Oayo started to become savage, the doctor whipped the Snow Leopard across the face [the whip had a metal tip and that is why Oayo has his scar across his face now].

Finally, the doctor locked Oayo away in a small room, and left a candle burning to read. The doctor got a message saying that he was needed right away and he left without unlocking Oayo or blowing out the candle.

About twenty minutes later, the whole house was on fire. It was very hot!!! It took the firefighters two hours to put it out.

Oayo was able to break the door down, and he escaped. But not after suffering serious smoke damage to his lungs and serve burning of his fur and skin. He had second degree burns over most of his body. He is healing but very nervous and edgy. He has bitten me four times but except for a light tap on the nose, I do nothing to stop him because it will just make him nastier.



Fourth, is Syat, he is the prince of the whole feline lot. He is a massive bright orange 11 foot long 943 pound male Siberian Tiger with dark brown [nearly black] stripes.

Syat is like Rayo or Oayo in that he was born in captivity, but he was born to a very well known and respected circus. He came from a white Siberian mother and a wild Siberian father [his mother was captured before giving birth].

He was going to be the star, the prince of the show. For ever at his young age, he was HUGE. He will probably be about 13-feet-long when he is done growing [one more year!]. He was very wild. Untrainable but yet, his wildness was what made the circus keep him for the other Tigers had become so docile and boring. Despite his wildness, he was a fast learner and ready to take part in the shows before most other Tigers.

Before his big show, one of the workers accidentually split gasoline when they dropped a canister of it on the ground near the cage where Syat was. Most of it got all over his face for he had been lying down watching the other tigers leave for their show.

Later, during the final act of his show, when he was jumping through a hoop of fire. Syat took a misstep and ended up jumping a little too far to the right, so that his white mane touched the flames. It was like a bonfire.

The flames engulfed his face in a matter of seconds, they were very hot. My father was in the backstage helping his friends [fellow trainers] put the tigers away and when Syat roared in pain he raced out with the others.

It took five minutes to put the flames completely out. But by then the damage had been completely done. Syat was BLIND. He can not see any more than 1 foot in front of his face.

Now, he uses his strong sense of smell to guide him around the house. We don't move anything because we don't want him getting hurt.

When he is outside, he follows closly behind his mate Rayo. Who acts as his eyes.


_______________________________
And Now Finally, the NEWS


The two SNOW LEOPARDS that my parents and I have saved. Oayo and Taya became new parents about two hours ago.

One female kitten who is so spotted that she looks grey rather than white.

One male kitten who is almost solid white.

There is actually a third addition, a solid black kitten with white spots.

How that happened. I have no idea.

The Kittens are:
Grey female, Eara.
White male, Uao
Black male, Jako

I have very UNUSUAL cats.

[mickey]

hello, I am shocked (in a good way) that you actually have these as pets. I hope everything goes good for them and congrats on the little ones too, welcome to the board!!

mickey

[kernix]

WhiteT,

Your english is good, real good. Too bad your brother broke the camera because I would looooove to see some photos of those cats.

Big Cats - the baddest, fiercest predators on land. I like them. I love dogs, but unlike dogs, cats do not hunt in packs (except lions), but are rather solitary hunters.

It breaks my heart for any animal to go extinct because of humans.

[Daniel7]

Wow, that's awesome!