The Rest of the Story
This morning, in his innocent curiosity, Khan noticed Spice lying by the fence, watching him. He had never met her before, but he meant no harm and decided to go over and say hello.
Unlike Nina and Charlotte—who had once reacted strongly to a strange tiger—Khan didn’t see any danger. It simply didn’t occur to him that a stranger could hurt or even kill him. Ginger, however, was alarmed by his lack of caution.
She quickly jumped in with a lot of noise but no aggression—her message to Spice was loud and clear: “Don’t mess with my boy!”
At first, both Spice and Khan were confused and a little scared by the sudden commotion. Unsure of what was happening, they simply sat still.
What Ginger really wanted was for Khan to return to his siblings, who were waiting for him near the holding area gate. She also wanted Spice to acknowledge her authority by showing a submissive posture. Spice did just that—and as soon as she did, Ginger responded in kind, offering her own submissive gesture. It was their way of signaling that neither wanted to fight.
Still, Khan didn’t quite understand what his mom wanted. So Ginger gently grabbed his paw and nudged him in the direction he needed to go. That finally made it clear—off he ran, back to his siblings where he belonged.
Once Khan was safely away, Ginger again lowered herself submissively toward Spice—another sign of respect, paired with a quiet warning: “I respect you, but stay away from my boys.”
