A paws-itively daring rescue: Johor Zoo worker saves kitten from tiger enclosure
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Two tigers within the enclosure were seen getting close to the kitten.
PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM @ANONYMOUS_NOT/TIKTOK
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Curiosity almost killed this cat, but a kitten at the Johor Zoo proved to have nine lives.
The kitten narrowly escaped a potentially dangerous encounter with two Malayan tigers at the zoo in Malaysia, after it had to be rescued from the tigers’ enclosure.
The incident was captured in a viral TikTok video, which has since garnered 2.3 million views and more than 146,000 likes.
The 2min 20sec video, posted on Sept 5, shows two tigers getting close to the kitten, which is in a shallow drain at the edge of the enclosure. The tigers do not seem aggressive, but instead look curious about the tiny white and grey kitten as they cautiously approach it.
The tigers then back away when they are sprayed with water by someone off camera. Malaysian news outlets reported that it was a zookeeper who used the water spray.
In the video, one of the tigers backs away completely, while the other appears to enjoy the splashes of water. While the tigers are distracted, the zookeeper picks up the kitten and pulls it to safety, earning applause from relieved onlookers and praise from netizens who watched the TikTok video.
Netizens were scratching their heads about how the kitten had managed to enter the tiger enclosure in the first place, with some worrying that the tigers could have harmed the kitten if it had not been rescued.
The incident raised questions about animal safety, but it was a fortunate outcome for both the kitten and the zoo staff – who certainly were not pussyfooting around, and swiftly prevented the situation from escalating further.
Johor Zoo, which reopened recently after being closed for three years, has been a popular attraction since it first opened in 1928. The zoo’s reopening on Aug 31
