This is a positive scorcher on the heartwarming scale. A grieving tigress who has lost her own cubs is duped into adopting a litter of piglets by zoo workers in California who wrap them in tiger skins.

According to the email that accompanied these photographs when they were circulated across the world, such a thing had never been attempted before. Unfortunately, the tiger’s story had a twist. Though the photos were not staged, an animal welfare advocacy group investigated and discovered they were shot at a zoo in Thailand.

The Sriracha Tiger Zoo, an hour’s drive from Bangkok, has been accused of causing undue suffering to its animals and of conducting promotional gimmicks.

Experts believe these photos were staged since it was unnecessary to cover the piglets in their lovely little tiger-skin jackets. Tigers breastfeed pigs, and pigs adopt orphaned cubs, which appears to be regular practice in Thailand. The tigress in these photos was raised by a sow and considers pigs to be family.

Though she was given these kittens to raise, it is uncertain whether she had lost her own litter, as the account said.