Pedang gets the holistic approach - but would you give a Sumatran tiger acupuncture?

Pedang, a male Sumatran tiger, who is 14-years old and suffering from chronic ear infections, is given acupuncture treatment at the Ramat Gan Safari, an open-air zoo near Tel Aviv (AFP\Getty)

Pedang, a male Sumatran tiger, who is 14-years old and suffering from chronic ear infections, was given acupuncture treatment at the Ramat Gan Safari, an open-air zoo near Tel Aviv.

An alternative medicine specialist, Mor Mosinzon, treated Pedang. Anaesthetised twice in the past to treat his ailment, the big cat underwent acupuncture for the first time in the hope of solving the problem, the zoo said in a statement. After Pedang was anaesthetised, the veterinarians cleaned his ears, took blood and skin samples, and gave the tiger holistic treatment. This was the first time such treatment has been used at Ramat Gan Safari.

The park, which covers 100 hectares, recreates an African savannah in one of the most densely populated parts of Israel.