In what is an unusual bond, the German Shepherds – Blacky, Hugo and Jenny – are inseparable from big cat Suria and new-born tiger cub Sunny.
Suria and Sunny were both born at the Oasis of the Siberian Tiger, in Senec, Slovakia.
The eldest tigress, Suriya, has been inseparable from dogs since birth.
Incredibly, four-month-old cub Sunny seems to be following in her footsteps and has also made friends with dogs.
The playing dogs and tigers were spectacularly captured by Lucia Zustakova, who was visiting the Oasis, and also Martin Ziman, a volunteer at the oasis .
Their daily playtime allows the group to interact, sometimes getting quite rowdy as the boisterous animals play-fight and chase after each other excitedly.
Lucia, 29, said: “It is nice to see it all and it is so amazing when you are so near these beautiful animals.”
“Suria plays with the dogs every day and they just love her.”
“I love animals and love the oasis – it’s a great project to help these tigers that are facing extinction.”
With several species of tigers already extinct, the staff are completely passionate about trying to stop the same fate happening to Siberian tigers, who are victims of intense poaching.
Martin said: “The dogs are almost same age as Suria and have grown up together. They spend most of the time together.”
“They are really like siblings and play together all day long. They never hurt each other.”
