‘THESE CATS ARE LIKE MY THERAPISTS'

For big cat fanatic Gert the two tigers he’s raised from cubs are more than pets – they’ve helped to lift him from the depths of despair

- JACQUES MYBURGH

THE finches in the trees at the dam suddenly erupt into a riot of agitated noise. Something is freaking them out – and it soon becomes clear why when a man arrives with two huge Bengal tigers in tow.

It’s hard to imagine this scene playing out in the Free State, and not in a jungle or on a movie set.

As Gert Claassen (50) wades into the pool, seeking relief from the scorching heat, one of the tigers follows him into the water, frolicking like a kitten. The other tiger, its sibling, watches for a few moments, then clambers in too.

Even though these creatures have paws the size of dinner plates and teeth as sharp as razors, they wouldn’t hurt a fly, Gert tells us after he finishes his swim.

Having hand-reared them from tiny cubs, he regards the 11-month-old animals as his children.

“I adore them,” says Gert, a cattle farmer from the Petrus Steyn district. “Their personalities are very different – Seuna plays a bit rough, like boys do, while Sashi is much gentler.”

The tigers aren’t the only big cats kept on his farm. Gert also has 16 lions, 24 servals and eight caracals.

“I have a bit of an obsession with cats,” he tells us.

But to Gert they’re far more than just exotic pets. He says the animals – and Seuna and Sashi in particular – have helped him overcome a deep depression and supported him when he needed it most.

“I was in a very dark place last year,” he says. “If it hadn’t been for my cats and for willpower, I wouldn’t be here today. They saved my life.”

THE two tigers watch patiently as Gert dries himself off.