Putin gets a tiger for his birthday

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has been given a birthday present with bite, a rare tiger cub.

State television showed the prime minister tenderly petting the two-month-old female Ussuri at his residence outside Moscow.

The cub, weighing only about 20 pounds, was curled up in a wicker basket with a tiger-print cushion.

Mr Putin said a good home will be found for the tiger, presumably in a zoo or wildlife preserve. He has not decided what to call her, but is leaning toward Mashenka or Milashka.

Mr Putin refused to say who gave him the cub for his 56th birthday, which was Tuesday.

He called Russian journalists to his country home late last night without telling them why. Past midnight, after asking them “not to make noise, make a clatter or squeal,” he ushered the curious journalists into the room where the tiger cub was waiting.

As president and now prime minister, Mr Putin is known for his tough talk and macho image. But children and animals seem to bring out a softer side.

His dog, a Labrador named Koni, is often with him, even during meetings with world leaders.

Fewer than 400 Ussuri tigers are believed to survive in the wild, most of them in Russia and some in China. They are the largest tiger species, weighing up to 600 pounds.