May 20, 2009, 14:48 GMT
Stroehen, Germany - A tiger cub born in a German zoo at the weekend and rejected by its mother has experienced a further tragedy, as a dachshund which adopted the newborn was run over by a postman's van, the zoo reported Wednesday.
'We are totally shocked, he only wanted to go out to do his business,' said Almuth Ismer, of the dog's death. Ismer is the tiger cub's carer at Stroehen Zoo in Lower Saxony.
The nine-year-old dog, named Monster, had shown great affection in caring for the tiger cub, which was twice its size.
The fatal accident happened Tuesday afternoon on a gravel path outside the home of the Ismer family. The only vehicle to frequent the quiet road was the daily post delivery, zoo director Nils Ismer said.
The dog appeared not to have seen the vehicle, as he was healthy and 'always responded to his name,' Ismer said.
The tiger cub has now been adopted by Monster's one-year-old daughter Bessi, which 'fell in love' with the young predator after the death of its father, the zoo said.
It was unusual for such a young dog to develop maternal instincts, the zoo added. It is not uncommon, however, for dogs to adopt and raise other animals.
The German public had previously been captivated by the similarly tragic tale of Knut the polar bear, whose mother also rejected him shortly after birth. The unfortunate ursus then lost his human keeper to a heart attack, but retained his media stardom.
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