Jezebel: Tigers

Do Big Cats Purr As They Snuggle You to Death?

Doug Barry — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:00:00 EST

On a day when the rest of America is drunk on puppy, we should remind ourselves that the wide world is full of genuine cuddle monsters and that scientists have finally answered the baffling mystery that you probably think about on an average of 4.6 times a day without even realizing it: Do big cats purr? Maybe? Zoologists are giving a collective shrug on this one because there's still some disagreement as to what constitutes a purr and why, exactly, cats purr (and something about an important-sounding hyoid bone that I didn't pay attention to because the happy kitties distracted me). Purring is an involuntary reflex and, in addition to pleasure purrs, cats purr for such macabre reasons as traumatic injury or approaching death. Think about that the next time your tabby is curled up on your lap, purring softly, and you have the urge to congratulate yourself on your deep, abiding kinship with the animal kingdom. So purring remains a mystery, which means two things: science needs to take some risks by sending zoo interns into the big cat enclosures with over-sized cat toys, and until we have definitive proof that tigers don't purr, there's still hope that we can all have pet Rajahs. More »

Smart Toddler Corrects Important 'Tiger Bread' Oversight

Anna North — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:15:00 EST

Does this bread look like a tiger? No, it looks like a giraffe! And Lily Robinson, age 3, wasn't going to stand for it anymore. With the help of her mom, she wrote a letter British chain Sainsbury's, which sold the bread. This touched off a mass Facebook campaign, and this week, the store caved: "In response to overwhelming customer feedback that our Tiger Bread has more resemblance to a giraffe, from today we will be changing our Tiger Bread to Giraffe Bread and seeing how that goes." More »

What's Cuter Than A Tiger Cub? Tiger Quadruplets

Margaret Hartmann — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 22:01:00 EDT

Generally when you encounter four tigers, you're the one getting mauled, but lucky workers at Tierpark Berlin got a chance to cuddle these seven-week-old cubs at their public debut. Big cats are born at the zoo regularly, but quadruplets are rare. The three girls, Thaya, Salween and Mandalay, and a boy named Lampun are the first Indochinese tigers born there since 1988.

British Police Hunt Stuffed Tiger With Helicopters

Anna North — Mon, 23 May 2011 13:10:00 EDT

Police in Hampshire, England sent helicopters and officers armed with tranquilizers to dispatch a white tiger spotted on a Hedge End golf course. The result: after what officers described as "a brief stalk through the Hedge End savannah ... it became obvious that the tiger was a stuffed, life-sized toy." They also emphasized that it is still necessary to take all tiger sightings seriously. More »

Baby Tiger Cubs Receive World's Most Harrowing Yet Adorable Bath

Erin Gloria Ryan — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 18:35:00 EDT

Tiger Gives Snow A Much-Deserved Raspberry

Margaret Hartmann — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 00:00:00 EST

[Beijing, February 13: A tiger rests in a snow covered enclosure at the Beijing Zoo. Image via AP.] More »

GQ Reporter Naomi Campbell Asks Vladimir Putin The Tough Questions

Jenna Sauers — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 16:40:00 EST

GQ Reporter Naomi Campbell Asks Vladimir Putin The Tough Questions" alt="Click here to read GQ Reporter Naomi Campbell Asks Vladimir Putin The Tough Questions" src="http://cache.jezebel.com/assets/images/39/2011/01/small_naomi_vladimir_310111.jpg"/>

Today in media stunts: Naomi Campbell interviews Vladimir Putin for British GQ. Her opening gambit? "You're in pretty good physical shape. How do you manage to keep yourself so fit?" It gets worse (better?) from there. More »

The Surprising Facts About Who's Hot

Anna North — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:01:00 EST

The science of attractiveness can be obnoxious when misrepresented, but it's also fascinating. A new book contains some surprising information about sexy tigers, the cosmetic power of veggies — and how to talk about beauty without being an asshole. More »

The Time Of The Month Tiger Is Your Menstrual Friend

Margaret Hartmann — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 18:35:00 EDT

Meet the new meme that gives voice to your worst period woes, including dropping your last tampon in the toilet, feeling like your uterus got stabbed, and the "unexpected goodbye leak," as only a man-eating tiger can. More »

Wedding Details: Is Katy Perry's Bridal Nose Ring On The Wrong Side?

Dodai Stewart — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 11:10:00 EDT

Katy Perry and Russell Brand's wedding celebrations are already underway — guests have arrived in India, and the ceremony is tomorrow. But some new information has been revealed! More »

See Photos Of Katy Perry & Russell Brand's Rajasthan Wedding Location (Updated)

Dodai Stewart — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 18:33:00 EDT

Feline entertainer Katy Perry and grizzled comedian Russell Brand will tie the knot this weekend at the Sher Bagh resort outside the Ranthambhore tiger sanctuary. In this gallery, get a sneak peek at the backdrop for the Perry-Brand nuptials! More »

This Baby Tigress Demands Your Attention

Katie Luscombe — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 11:35:00 EDT

[Frankfurt, October 6: Meet female tiger baby Daseep, presented to her adoring subjects at the zoo of Frankfurt. Daseep was born on September 10 and raised by hand. Image via AP.]

Officials Find Tiger Cub Smuggled Amongst Stuffed Animals

Katy Kelleher — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 09:48:00 EDT

Last Sunday, airport staff in Bangkok rescued this two-month-old tiger cub from a smuggler boarding a plane to Iran. The poor little guy was drugged and hidden in a pile of stuffed toy tigers. More »

This Is How Tigers Act On Catnip

Margaret Hartmann — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 12:18:00 EDT

Do big cats like catnip? Judging from this video of tigers, panthers, and lions attacking bags of kitty pot, then rolling on the ground in a euphoric haze, the answer is yes. More »

Why Do Women Love Men Who Kill? • Teacher Fired For Premarital Sex

Katy Kelleher — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 17:30:00 EDT

It is estimated that around 100 British women are emotionally involved with men on death row. Many of these relationships began after sentencing. According to the author of Women Who Love Men Who Kill, these relationships share some common traits: More »

91-Year-Old Cashier Fights Off Robber; Aussie Ladymag Editor Rails Against Raunch Culture

Katy Kelleher — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:30:00 EST

• A 91-year-old pharmacy cashier tried to fight off a robber who grabbed a handful of cash from her register. "I want him to get caught because I want to smack him," said Florence Critelli after the attack. More »

Happy Hump Day

Dodai Stewart — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:50:00 EST

[Jakarta. February 12. Image via Getty.]

Gallic Guys Boast About Bedroom Skills • Skier Lindsay Vonn Injures Shin

Katy Kelleher — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:40:00 EST

• According to a survey, 40 percent of French men think they're the best lovers in Europe. French women claim Italians are the most attentive lovers. • More »

Rare Meat

Katy Kelleher — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:40:00 EST

A villager from rural China has been sentenced to 12 years behind bars after he killed and ate what was believed to be the last wild Indochinese tiger in the country. Fewer than 1,000 Indochinese tigers remain. [Telegraph] More »

...And Bears, Oh My

Anna Holmes — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:10:00 EST

[Mexico City, December 9. Image via Getty]

Eye Of The Tiger

Anna Holmes — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:10:00 EDT

[Jakarta, August 13. Image via Getty]

TGIF

Dodai Stewart — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 16:10:00 EDT

[Image via AP.]

TGIF

Dodai Stewart — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:50:00 EDT

Big Cats & Dogs

Maria — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:45:00 EDT

A golden retriever named Isabella at Safari Zoological Park in southeast Kansas has adopted three white tiger cubs who were abandoned by their mother. After the birth mother ignored the cubs the zoo owner, Tom Harvey, found a nursing dog to help the cubs survive. White tigers are not as "genetically stable" as their orange brethren because they are the result of inbreeding, but we sure hope these cuties make it. [AP] More »

The Real Beasts At Zoos Are Not Always In Cages

Anna — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 12:00:00 EST

Late December, 2007: On one side of the world, a female Siberian tiger somehow escapes her zoo enclosure and attacks three young men, killing one. Some 6,000 miles away on the other, a female Siberian tiger being held in a Beijing zoo is found skinned, beheaded, and de-limbed, most likely by poachers looking to sell her parts on the black market. As many already know, the former happened over Christmas Day at the San Francisco Zoo, during which the tiger in question, a 4-year-old named Tatiana, was shot and killed. The latter occurred the week before. Two separate situations, to be sure, but there were some interesting differences: In California, the soul-searching and post-mortems began in earnest, with questions as to why and how Tatiana escaped and attacked. (There are reports that the three young men may have taunted Tatiana before she attacked.) In China, officials simply (and quickly) closed the zoo. More »

Christmas 2007: Drunk Stripper Santas, Shitty Sales, Deadly Tiger Rampages

Jessica — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 09:30:25 EST

It's not just you! The polls are in, and this Christmas was officially a disappointment. Sales were "bleak", the streets were violent, and in the U.K. a man stuffed his wife's dead body under the tree before killing himself. Uplifting! So here's a news tidbit to be thankful for: in Los Angeles, a "beefy" dude wearing a seriously modified Santa getup replete with purple G-string was booked on a DUI charge yesterday. According the the UPI, the Santa in question was 6-foot-4, 280-pound Rick Carroll, who, in addition to sporting the G-string, was clad in black leg warmers, a blond wig, and a red lace camisole. A L.A. county sheriff told the press, "He had to sober up and find his own reindeer." Zing! In slightly less amusing news, an escaped tiger named Tatiana killed one person at the San Francisco Zoo yesterday. More »