Lucky zoo visitors play with tiger cubs (video)
More than a dozen rare white lion and Siberian tiger cubs were let loose to frolic and play with delighted visitors at a safari park in Crimea's Belogorsk town last weekend as part of a local campaign to raise awareness about the protection of wild animals.
Visitors were given the chance to hug and pet the adorable cubs, who ran around sniffing their new visitors, climbing over each other and stretching on the grass.
See also: Cheeky lioness steals photographer's camera on safari
Speaking in the IB times, "We are against hunting. Today everyone can try to pet wonderful, rare animals just like this, and to understand that they are unique to their kind and they should be protected," said
Even though the adorable creatures were happy to make new friends, some of the cubs seemed more keen on making the most of the sunshine while others got up close and personal with the camera filming them.
Watch: Playful lion cubs cause traffic jam
According to National Geographic, Siberian tigers are the world's largest cats and although they predominantly live in Russia some can also be found in China and North Korea.
Contrary to popular opinion, white lions are not albino but they possess a genetic rarity which gives them their unique and striking colour.
WhiteLions.org claims that the first sighting of such an animal was in the Timbavati region of South Africa in 1938. There is currently no law protecting these animals despite the fact they have been hunted intensely since their discovery.
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