Siblings will do anything to get their parents’ attention over one another, but Sherhan the tiger cub is putting everyone else to shame.
The eight-month-old Amur tiger sings for his mother’s attention.
According to the keepers at his home – the Forest Fairy Tale zoo in Siberia in Russia – he’s been singing almost since he was born, and it’s a way to get his mother to notice him.
Sure, it’s not a perfect pitch, but it’s definitely unlike any sound you’ve heard come out of a tiger’s mouth before.
While it sounds a little croaky, the zoo assured the public Sherhan isn’t in any kind of pain.
He’s just going through the tiger version of puberty, kind of – tigers’ vocal cords are “not designed for such high-pitched notes”, zoo staff explained.
“The cub is feeling very well indeed, his throat is not hurting. This is the call he used since very early after birth to distract his mother from all other cubs, and grab her attention.”
Sherhan is one of four cubs born in July 2020.
Amur tigers are the world’s largest cats, and were once on the brink of extinction.
They’re now clawing their way back. Most of the population – some 600 – live in the far east of Russia.
