Tiger and dog in the snow tore up the Reddit rankings.
Because. This.
But a big dog and a big cat are BFFs?
Well, here’s the story behind these unusual playmates.
They belong to a Russian man who says he’s made a home for abandoned and rescued tigers and other big cats at a sanctuary called “House of Tigers.”
Mikhail Zaretsky has developed quite a social media following for his menagerie of not-so-wild animals. His Instagram account features tigers outdoors and indoors.
They are poses like this.
And this.
But also playing outdoors, like this.
This, by the way, is the origin of that Reddit post.
This is where Zaretsky originally posted the video saying the Bengal tiger and the dog are “playing king of the hill”
Who says cats and dogs can’t get along?
Zaretsky says on his YouTube channel that he’s been working in tiger education, rescue and treatment for the past 17 years near Moscow.
The New York Times also cites him in 2013 as a trainer in a Russian circus.
And here’s a more recent post with the circus as a backdrop.
А это фото было сделано пол года назад в Питере 😘😺#tiger #tigers #tigercub #bengal #bengaltiger #savetigers #bengalcat #bigcats #wild #wildcats #wildanimals #wildlife #wildandfree #animal #animals #animallover #animalsofinstagram #animalphotografy #animalsmood #funny #funnyanimals #funnycats #funnypictures #tigerland #tigercubs #saveanimals #my #little #baby #loveanimals
A post shared by Михаил Зарецкий (@mihail_tiger) on
Clearly, Zaretsky does use his animals for entertainment purposes.
But it’s not clear if his refuge is sanctioned or monitored in any way by any well-known animal welfare group.
But he’s obviously well-heeled.
And, his photos and videos are popular.
And they often feature some odd couples.
Perhaps, at least, a lesson for us all to try to get along.
Photo Mihail_Tiger/Instagram