There are times when the parents of a baby animal may shun the small one. There are plenty of reasons why and that’s not important right now. What’s important is that the baby gets a surrogate so that they can grow up well.
In Miami, Florida, the Zoological Wildlife Foundation has a dog who has the job of being a surrogate parent to the babies in the zoo. His job is very important for the zoo and especially for the baby animals.
The Zoological Wildlife Foundation is owned by Maria and Mario Tabraue. They brought a dog to help with the sanctuary. They thought that the dog would be a great help in taking care of all of the animals there.
To do that, Mario had a dog trainer help in finding a dog who could work with other animals. It took them 18 months of searching and testing dogs. Until they met Igor.
Igor is a dog and he is just a natural. He has paternal instincts especially when it comes to interacting with animals that are smaller than him.
When he started working at the zoo, one of the very first baby animals that he took care of was a baby tiger. The two would always play together and spend lots of hours doing just that. They would also spend time together.
The humans at the zoo would take care of making sure the animals are fed and got the treatments and care that they need. While the humans do that, Igor would be the one in-charge of helping out with the psychological needs and emotional needs of the baby animals.
Igor has been a surrogate to a lot of different animals over the years. Aside from the baby tiger, he has also given care to a baby monkey and a baby hyena.
Source: Barcroft TV
