Depressed Tiger Healed by Making Friends with Mice

A tiger that was suffering through depression has been cured by the most unlikely of remedies.

The Daily Mail reports that a depressed tiger living in a Romanian zoo seems to have recovered after his caretakers introduced a pair of mice into the tiger's habitat. Rather than eating the mice as the zookeeper's had expected, the tiger and mice became friends.

The tiger's depression was due to the fact that his life partner had died after the couple spent 13 years together. The tiger's name is Sandokan and he lives in the eastern Romanian city of Galati. After his partner passed, Sandokan stopped eating and began to constantly gnaw on his tail.

The mice were not the zookeepers' first effort to cheer up Sandokan. They had previously tried the more traditional idea of finding Sandokan a replacement for his mate. They tried to introduce Sandokan to a female named Samira, but unlike most males, he showed no interest in the younger female.

Sandokan's caregivers told the Mail they did not want to use drugs and sedatives because they would have had to be given to Sandokan via a tranquilizer gun, which the zookeeper said is a traumatic experience for animals.

That was when the zookeepers got creative and decided to give Sandokan some mice. Sandokan allows the mice to run around his bed and pen. He even allows them to run through his fur.

It was the last thing the zookeepers expected, but they say the mice's presence has brought Sandokan back to his old form.