This photo was taken on Hadiah the tiger's first birthday, December 12, 2007. She is a Sumatran tiger, currently on the endangered species list.

Hadiah's story is incredible - her elderly mother stopped taking care of her just after she was born, so zookeepers stepped in and hand-raised her to save her life.

Hadiah is also the animal responsible for my love affair with Woodland Park Zoo - I did a story for a local newspaper about Hadiah and after that the zoo became my home away from home.

Thanks to the efforts of the WPZ's keepers, Hadiah is now a fully grown, happy and healthy tiger.