Tiger spotted rolling a huge snowball to play with at Midlands zoo

He's still a kitten at heart!

• Ian Thomas, 52, of Anglesey, north Wales, perched in snow for four hours 
• He stalked the tiger enclosure at Dudley Zoo, West Midlands, for photos 
• Amateur photographer had 15 minute encounter with two tigers 
• One of the big cats had fun with massive snowball in freezing conditions   

By Matt Hunter For Mailonline

Published: 26 January 2016

They may be a lot bigger than the domestic cat but a tiger has shown he still likes to play ball at a West Midlands zoo. Bold amateur photographer Ian Thomas, 52, of Anglesey, north Wales, perched in the snow for four hours at Dudley Zoo, West Midlands, as he stalked the tiger enclosure. And his patience was rewarded when two of the big cats braved the cold to frolic in the snow - with one having fun with a massive snowball. 

Let's play ball: One of the tigers has fun with the massive snowball at the Midlands zoo in this photo taken by Mr Thomas

Rough and tumble: The two tigers get up close in the sub-zero conditions at Dudley Zoo, West Midlands

Mr Thomas admitted that the incredible shot, taken with a Nikon D7000 camera and Nikon 70-200 2.8 VR lens, was worth the wait and had been a hit online.

He said: 

'I came across the tiger compound and decided to wait and wait I did. The tiger compound had a great viewing platform that doesn't require any fencing due to its clever design and the tigers can roam below you and at the same level once they ascend the sloping bank towards the back of the compound. I sat and waited and waited getting colder and colder but afraid to move in case I missed them. After a few hours sat on my own two tigers roamed around and to my pleasure one pounced on a massive snowball and started to roll it about.'

Despite capturing the incredible shot, the amateur photographer insists he preferred a portrait image he took when he went face to face with the legendary predators.

Impressive sight: One of the tigers decided to sit in the snow for this striking image taken by Mr Thomas who prefers this portrait shot to the one of the tiger playing with the snowball

Amateur photographer Ian Thomas (pictured) who stalked the tiger enclosure at Dudley Zoo, West Midlands, for the great shots 

And despite the frozen temperatures taking their toll, the snapper says that his long wait was made worth it for just 15 minutes with the big cats. Mr Thomas added: 

'Soon after the snowball photo, my dream came true and a beautiful scene was set as a tiger lay down in the snow some 40 feet from me and looked straight into my eyes.

All those hours suffering with frozen fingers suddenly became irrelevant. I felt at one with a magnificent creature. My day was completed when the two tigers became amorous and cuddled before ripping into a chunk of meat. I may have only had 10-15 minutes of interacting with these magnificent creatures in four hours but the experience will stay with me forever.' 

source