Putin gets a tiger cub

Russian Federation PM Vladimir Putin's favorite birthday present this year is a rare Ussuri tiger cub. These Tigers are endangered, so I am sure that it may not be such a good thing for him to keep it.

Vlad has been seen affectionately petting the two-month-old female cub on Friday. The tiger weighs only about 20 pounds and sleeps in a wicker basket at Putin's residence outside Moscow.

Putin says a good home will be found for the tiger, presumably in a zoo or wildlife preserve. He hasn't decided what to call her, but is leaning toward Mashenka or Milashka.

Putin refuses to say who gave him the cub for his 56th birthday, which was Tuesday. I wonder why......?

The Ussuri tiger is also known as the Siberian, Amur or Manchurian tiger. Fewer than 400 are believed to survive in the wild.

PM Putin has also released a Judo DVD in the last week to be used to teach the young folk of Russia about self defence. I wonder if they will translate it to English and ship it abroad?