Do you remember the video that trended about the unlikely friendship between a tiger and a goat? It appears that friendship has ultimately come to an end – for reasons you will completely understand.
The long companionship between a Siberian tiger named Amur and a goat named Timur dissolved into a fight yesterday, January 29.
The friendship between Timur, the goat and Amur, the Siberian tiger started when the former (that is, the goat) was placed in the tiger’s habitat to serve as his meal. But the goat surprised onlookers by not only refusing to be eaten, but also kicking the tiger out of its bedding area!
The animals afterwards appeared to develop a friendship — living in peace with one another and even being observed playing with a soccer ball together.
Unfortunately, the relationship came to an end when Amur lashed out at the goat after what officials refer to as weeks of bullying. Apparently, Timur had been jumping on the tiger, poking it with its horns and attempting to push it around. But the large, and obviously more powerful cat decided that enough was most certainly enough!
He grabbed the goat by the scruff of its neck and shook it like a kitten, perhaps warning him that gentility is by no means a sign of weakness!
Safari officials quickly intervened by distracting the tiger in order to remove Timur and give him emergency veterinary treatment. They believe that Amur’s patience was likely pushed to the limit due to a nearby female in heat.
Do you think Amur and Timur can forgive each other, get over this ugly fight, trust and respect each other well enough to continue as friends well into the future? Or are they better, separated, seeing that a goat-tiger friendship will not last long before nature takes its due course?
We sure hope Timur (and hopefully humans watchers of the event!) learnt the ultimate lesson that you do not bully others – friends especially – lest they turn on you and devour you!
