This week I went to a place called Tiger Kingdom. It’s about a 30 minute drive out of Chiang Mai, and when you get there you buy a ticket based on what kind of tiger you want to see; babies, medium sized, or the big ones. I picked a package that included the babies and the biggest tigers. For an extra fee, you can also hire a photographer to go in with you and take pictures. That’s the main attraction, it’s basically a photo shoot with tigers. I love photo shoots and I love tigers, so this had my name written all over it!
There was a long line for the biggest tigers, but no wait for the medium sized ones (of course, who wants to see medium sized tigers when there are big ones?) So I decided to switch so I could go immediately. The so-called medium sized tigers were still very impressive. Tigers are awe inspiring animals. I have watched more than my share of National Geographic (I’m kind of an addict) but nothing prepares you for being right next to one. For safety, we were not allowed to get anywhere near the front half of the cat, we were only to approach from the back and we could pet the back end and give it a tummy rub it if rolled over. They are beautiful animals. Their front paws are massive, hard to describe. Easily bigger than my hands, and so powerful. You can see the muscles rippling through their shoulders and ribcage. I was so happy just sitting there with the tiger. I am different when I am with animals, it’s like I can feel their energy and it makes me forget myself, makes me change. Someday I want to do real work with these animals but for now, I'll settle for a photo shoot.
After that, I went to see the baby tigers. We had to take off our shoes and put on special slippers and wash our hands before we could go in the enclosure. They were so cute and they acted just like kittens only they were bigger and distinctly tiger-ish. They were more active than the adults (aren’t kids always?) and were busy exploring their surroundings, tripping over their paws, and climbing over their trainer (which was adorable). Again, it was so invigorating just to be in their space and just watch their little antics.
I had so much fun that day I decided to go back the next day right when they opened and see the biggest tigers. I’m glad I did. Once again, I was awestruck by their size and strength. And yet they were very patient with us walking around, petting them and taking pictures. The trainers offered them treats for posing for the camera and played games with them. There is no question in my mind that if they didn’t want to cooperate, they wouldn’t.
On the way back, we stopped at the PooPoo Paper gift shop, where they sell paper products made out of elephant and water buffalo dung. The science behind it is that elephants and water buffalo eat tons of grass but they don’t break down the fiber all the way so their poo has a high fiber content. So they remove the fiber and clean it (of course) and use it to make paper. Genius! I love any kind of creative recycling products.
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