Goat That Befriended Tiger Passes Away

Timur the Russian goat that achieved global fame thanks to his unusual friendship with a tiger has died according to the director of the safari park where the two resided. Dmitry Mezenstev said Timur’s heart stopped working. The goat which is believed to be approximately five years old was cremated and buried with full honours his keeper said in a statement.

Natural causes

Timur died of natural causes. However, the goat’s health deteriorated in the aftermath of an altercation with the male Siberian tiger he astonishingly befriended at the end of 2015 because the goat refused to display any fear. The story captivated people globally after it emerged the goat was sent to the safari park to serve as live prey for Amur the Siberian tiger.

Fearless goat

Instead of serving as food for Amur, the two became inseparable after Amur refused to touch the goat following Timur’s entry into his enclosure because he was fearless. Mr Mezentsev who is an expert of tigers and leopards at the time described the bizarre friendship as nothing short of a miracle and a “sign from above” for humans to be nicer to each other.

Friendship went South

Both tiger and goat slept in the same enclosure, ate and played with one another. Amur sought to teach the goat how to hunt prey and they occasionally even head butted and chased each other playfully. However, in the end the friendship deteriorated as the goat became more audacious and started challenging the tiger.

Tiger lost patience

Mr Mezentsev says the tiger was harassed by the goat for almost a month and then one January day in 2016 the tiger finally lost patience after he was stepped on by the goat. The tiger grabbed the goat and flung him off the hillock. The pair were then separated, but the goat’s health eventually took a turn for the worse. According to Mr Mezentsev the goat began limping and lost some of his zest for life despite remaining a little “cheeky”.

Monument will be constructed

The park sent Timur to Moscow for treatment but he never fully recovered from the tiger attack. Amur remains healthy and continues to live at the safari park. The park owners intend to construct a bronze monument on Timur’s grave. Many people especially in Russia have expressed their sorrow online with one mourner saying “Fearless Timur, you will forever remain in our hearts,” said one mourner.