cub

A terrifying story with a happy ending. Three years ago, a six week old Bengal tiger cub was rescued from a wildlife trafficking attempt at a San Diego area border crossing. Today, the fully grown tiger, Moka, is living happily with another rescued tiger named Nola.

Moka was discovered in the floorboard of a sports car driven by an 18-year-old man who was attempting to smuggle the tiger from Tijuana through the U.S.-Mexico border. As reported by the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy and Border Report, the passenger under whose legs the cub was hidden had at first said that it was "just a cat." The driver, Luis Valencia, when questioned, claimed that he had bought the tiger in Tijuana after seeing someone walking it on a leash and wanted to keep it as a pet. Later, of course, it was discovered that both statements were false, and Luis was sentenced to six months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges.

The cub was taken to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and had a surgery that saved his life. At the time, his weight was less than that of the average house cat - just 6 pounds. His name, Moka, means "chance" in Bengali and was given to him as a way of commemorating the story of his discovery. There, he got to meet Rakan, "a Sumartan tiger cub whose mother was unable to care for him," and together they grew up, played, wrestled, and pounced, becoming stronger and happier.

After a few months of care, still only a few months old, Moka was moved into an animal sanctuary called Lions, Tigers & Bears east of San Diego where he met Nola from Louisiana - another now fully grown tiger who was rescued as a cub.

The founder and director of Lions, Tigers & bears, Bobbi Brink, told Border Report that "[Moka and Nola] were both the same age, so they made great roommates, now they're best of friends," as well as that "[h]e's kind of shy but Nola is his strength. She'll be the first one to go out and check out something then slowly but surely he'll be right behind her," and no ending could make us happier.

Take a look at pictures of Moka from three years ago, over the first three months at the safari (with Rakan!) and today below.

And not a moment too soon! This is a heartbreaking story but it has a happy ending. 

A lion cub, by the name of Simba, was one a few weeks old when he was taken away from his mother and forced to pose for pictures with tourists. 

The Russian owners were dragging the poor cub around and using him as a prop for tourists and their holiday photos. And as Simba grew, the owners broke his legs to keep him from running away. 

Tortured and beaten by his owners, the lion soon became ill to the point of death, according to reports. 

Simba was no longer able to take photos with tourists, due to his ill state, that the owners had tied him up and dumped him in a dilapidated barn in Russia. 

It is at the moment that Simba would be rescued from his life of torture. Yulia Agaeva, one of Simba's rescuers, had said, "This was a real hell. He was practically not fed, and for some reason in the frost. Water was constantly poured over him."

News of Simba's cruel torture spread across Russia, and even Vladimir Putin personally ordered a criminal probe into this senseless cruelty. 

Karen Dallakyan, the veterinary surgeon who saved Simba's life, helped Simba regain the use of his legs, thanks to several surgeries. Dallakyan had said that Simba suffered an "ocean of pain from humans" and that the recovery was a "miracle".

There had been over 30 offers from organizations to take the cub in, but Yulia was convinced that Tanzania, a rehabilitation center, was the right choice. 

"The rehabilitation center we selected employs highly trained, kind, animal-loving doctors who will take care of Simba 24/7. It is located in a beautiful area where elephants, zebras, caracals, servals, and other fauna live near Mount Kilimanjaro," said Yulia.

Simba will have a "huge unfenced space" to roam. 

Simba's transfer to a better life is expected at the end of this month. 

Our hearts break for this little cub and wish him all the best. We love you, Simba! 

Story via The Sun 

Cutest best friends ever? We think so! Kris, the cheetah cub, was born July 9th and sadly lost her two siblings due to their mom Neena not being able to produce enough milk to sustain the cubs. 

In fear that Neena might abandon her last cub, caretakers at the Cincinnati Zoo stepped in and brought in a professional leader -- a dog! Blakely, the dog, came into the picture to "serve as a role model" the staff told PEOPLE. 

However, Blakely was retired and came out of retirement for the sole purpose of raising this cheetah cub. As it turns out though, Blakely was more than ready to get back to that retirement life just after a few months. 

Thus, a new canine stepped up to the plate! Remus, a mixed-breed rescue, is now Kris's newest (and from the looks of it, "best-est") friend! 

Seriously, it doesn't get any cuter than Remus and Kris! The two were photographed sharing toys and playing hide-n-seek!

Read more about the dog and cheetah pairings Cincinnati Zoo has paired over the years!

Anyone who watched the new remake of "The Lion King" with Donald Glover and Beyonce, couldn't stand the cuteness of baby Simba. Now, the Dallas zoo announced on their facebook page that Bahati, a female lion at their zoo, was actually used as a model for it in the remake of the Disney classic. "When Bahati was just a month old, we provided Disney with video of her movements for their animation team to use for motion and behavior reference when designing Simba in The Lion King," the zoo shared on Facebook. Those who have seen the technically stunning and wildly successful remake might recognize the Dallas Zoo lion, Bahati, who isn't so little anymore. While most of the footage the zoo sent to Disney shows Bahati as a month-old cub, the formerly tiny lion is now a fully-grown, two-and-a-half-year-old lioness.

The unnamed cub, born back in December, is finally on view to the public at the Tierpark zoo in Berlin, Germany and we couldn't ask for more on this Sunday morning. Even though some of the the texts are in German, we're sure you will enjoy the adorable photos and videos.  

Aashe's rescue was carried out by Tigers in America. This organisation rescues tigers from horrible situations like this. 

Big cats might live in the wild, but when it comes to it, they are just like all the other cats!