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Chinese officials have copied a zoo in Russia in using a dog to raise three unwanted tiger cubs.

Last week it was reported that a dog named Cleopatra was being used to raise the two cubs that had been abandoned by their mother after they were born late May in a zoo at the Oktyabrsky health resort in the Black Sea city of Sochi, Russia.

Zoo assistant director Viktoria Kudlayeva said that Cleopatra- a wrinkled, sand-coloured Shar Pei - has been cleaning the cubs, and feeding them as if they were her own.

Now the idea has been copied after two Siberian tigers gave birth to three cubs in Nanning Zoo, in Nanning city, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Shortly after birth both cubs were abandoned by their mothers but zoo staff aware of the Russian example managed to get a dog to adopt all three.

The zoo put the tigers with the dogs three puppies and she is now nursing all six.

The baby tigers are also getting a supplement of goats milk on the side.