Normally big cats don't think twice about eating the live prey placed helplessly in their enclosures. Picture: A. Fedoseev

The case has stunned keepers at a Russian safari park where normally big cats don't think twice about eating the live prey placed helplessly in their enclosures. But this goat showed no inkling of fear, eyeballed the tiger, and took over his shelter. Pictures show the obedient big cat reduced to resting on the roof of the shelter while the goat languishes inside on the tiger's bed.

'Our tigers get live prey twice every week,' said a keeper. 'Tiger Amur knows very well how to hunt goats and rabbits. But recently he came across a goat that he refused to hunt.'

Tiger Amur knows very well how to hunt goats and rabbits. But recently he came across a goat that he refused to hunt.' Pictures: A. Fedoseev

The goat, as the staff at the Far Eastern Safari Park at Shkotovsky, Primorsky region, was 'very brave'.

'We think that the goat never came across tigers and no-one taught him to be scared of them,' said the keeper. 'Amur the tiger is quite cautious by his nature decided not to go to the trouble of hunting Timur.

'The brave goat not only saved his own live. He kicked the tiger out of his bedroom and is sleeping on Amur's 'bed' for the fourth night. We named the goat Timur - he was just a nameless prey at the point when he entered the cage - out of respect his bravery.'

Pictures show the obedient big cat reduced to resting on the roof of the shelter while the goat languishes inside on the tiger's bed. Pictures: I. Petukhov

Every day, the tiger and goat take walks together, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

'It looks like they are friends,' said one of the staff. 'Timur the goat has taken Amur for a leader and follows him everywhere.'

Somehow the relationship seems the other way around. 'Timur's bravery and Amur's cautiousness got them to this paradoxical situation.'