Bubba the SF tiger

We got him in Laos after his mom tramped on a landmine. He was only two days old, but I had him in my jungle jacket wrapped in a towel and when we were extracted we fed him milk and got him started on his way.

He did well because he got much larger than an Asian Tiger usually grew to. His weakness was real beer (He had two cans a day) which he slurped down, went to a corner of the hooch, rolled on his back, showed his junk and snored like it was his last day! If the Bubster wanted to get in your bunk with you, you just rolled over and dealt with it.

It's such a shame so many tigers were killed over there because most were killed for sport and not in self defense.

When we cycled out, the question was, what the hell to do with Bubba? He couldn't survive because he only knew SOG, Special Forces, Seals, etc. Here is where we got creative. We had access to things normal military didn't.

So we got creative and a phone call went to a research zoo in Sidney, Australia and we asked if they wanted a "free tiger?" When the lady at the other end realized we were for real she pissed her pants and said, "Yes, but how do we get him?"

I don't want to reference Air America, but we flew the Bubster to his new home and I got off the airplane with him walking beside me like a dog on a leash. They all went nuts when he walked to the lady and heeled by her side looking at her for instructions. He must have had a very good time and life there because he sired tons of babies.

That part of my life is gone, like Bubba who lasted to 1985, but every time I hear a Tiger make those special noises my head and heart goes back to a tiny little baby we found in Laos in 1968.

-Warren Castaneira