At the Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species in South Carolina anyone can witness how beautiful tiger handlers swim in a big pool together with the big cats. During their studies here, animal experts learned that tigers and human develop a stronger relationship in the water and that the cats are easier to handle, since they don’t stand on their back legs. Unlike other cats, tigers are great swimmers and they enjoy spending as much time as possible in the water. However, because they slowly grow into dangerous killing machines, the handlers only swim with them until they turn one year old. Dr. Bhagavan Antle says he has got nto the water with full-grown 15-year-old tigers and ligers (cross between a lion and a tiger), but he can’t put his staff in the same kind of danger. Photo Credits