Advertisement
Published: March 20th 2007
Wow - we got to play wth tigers! These are real tigers and they've not been drugged or anything like that to make them approachable. Most of the tigers here at the 'Tiger Temple' have been here since they were cubs so they are very sociable and know how to handle humans. They are, unfortunately, victims of poachers who would have died if the monks had not taken them in. Now there are 16 tigers and a variety of other animals who have turned up over time to enjoy their freedom to roam safely and to be fed every day at 4.30. There are even 2 4 month old cubs (they seemed the most vicious of all the way they were playing with their teddy-bear). The monks are currently fundraising to build a new, more 'natural' place for the tigers to live, to train the cubs how to be wild animals so that they can be returned to live in their natural habitat.
We were taken round the tiger canyon (where they go every afternoon for exercise) by a handler who holds on to you apart from when you are next to the tiger getting your photo taken by
Me and 2 big cats
The one ay the back is drinking from a water bottle -too cute!another handler. Most of the tigers are free in the canyon although some are on a lead. There are many handlers around just in case the tigers take a dislike to someone, one tiger doesn't like red or perfume! They have a funny roar, they sound more like Chewbacca than a big cat, but they act just like domestic cats, rolling around in the sun and loving gettig their chin tickled. Just before tea-time the tigers are walked back to their enclosures and we got a shot of taking 'Sky,' a 4 year old tiger who has grown up at the temple, back. I wanted to take one home but Louie wouldn't like it.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.046s; Tpl: 0.01s; cc: 7; qc: 28; dbt: 0.0291s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1mb
Dorothy Quayle
non-member comment
Tigers an' all
Finally sat down and caught up with all your travel writings - you really are having an amazing time. Loved the tigers behaving like dogs and walking on leads - being a dog loving family our saying is 'cats are pants - dogs are best'! Found the descriptions of what you saw in Vietnam and Cambodia during the wars and Pol Pot regimes - must have been incredibly moving. I sometimes think that if all those planning a war saw those sights whether or not they would actually bother to go ahead. Anyway - carry on enjoying your trip and take care of one another. Love Dorothy