Sleeping with the Enemy?

I got this image off of TIME magazine's website. The picture was taken at Thailand's Sriracha Tiger Zoo and features Sai Mai as an adoptive mother to the piglets.

The image appeals to the viewer's emotions through the uncharacteristic interaction between the two species, a tiger and three piglets, in order to argue that atypical paired beings can have a functioning relationship.

The focus of the image is drawn to the tiger and its unusually friendly eyes. Its eyes are bright and its tongue is partially out like it is panting. Commonly tigers are expected to be ferocious and predatory, however this tiger's almond shaped eyes and overall demeanor is somewhat playful. These aspects of the tiger are important to the argument of the image because the other focal points in the picture are harmless sleeping piglets. Since the piglets are in such intimate positions near the tiger, especially the one laying on the tiger's back, it suggests that the piglets are in their comfort zone and rely on the tiger to rear them in this time of development. It seems the feelings are mutual between the two species because the Tiger is not in a predatory mode, showing canines or about to pounce on them.

Although this image of an unlikely relationship between the animals is probably induced by humans and not nature, it suggests that not all human relationships have to "make sense" to work. In society people judge you by the relationships you have with others. If you have intimate relationships with people who are opposite of or nothing like you then usually its controversial or frowned upon. When parents want to adopt a child, usually they will adopt a child from their own race because its just so unusual to see a baby of a different color than their parents. We like to think its no big deal but in reality people have been raised to think in certain ways and the norm is what they usually have seen their whole lives. So whatever doesn't define that is weird and shouldn't go together. It can also go for same-sex couples. They are the minority and when couples are seen in public, some people may be shocked and repulsed by the difference. In the end, unusual relationships between people and even animals can be related back to the strong bond they have between them for different reasons.