"Tigers Love Pepper, They Hate Cinnamon"

There was only one thing on the agenda for today... TIGERS!  Yup, today we went to the "Tiger Kingdom".  There are two "tiger" options as far as I know in Thailand: one is a Tiger Sanctuary just outside of Thailand which is run by a bunch of monks who take in tigers in need; the other, is the "Tiger Kingdom" which is basically a tourist trap where they breed and hand-raise tigers and then send them off to the zoo (they're raised as domesticated as a tiger can be and therefor can't be rehabilitated into the wild).  (I have no idea whether the Tiger Kingdom is part of a rescue or conservation project.)  There are several concerns facing both of these facilities: one of which is the exploitation and capture of a wild animal for profit, another is whether or not they declaw or sedate the tigers, and of course the conditions of their overall care.  I have not been to the sanctuary (because I didn't realize it was near Bangkok until the night before we were leaving and by then it was too late), so I have no frame of reference, only the opinion of the one.

My opinion is that it's pretty cool, and where else are you able to cuddle up with a tiger!?  As far as the captivation of a wild animal for profit, I'm not really going to go into that as that debate as been going on forever between zoos and animal activists and everyone else.  I will say however, that before deciding which tigers to visit Darren and I took a little peak into their living space to help us decide.  What we saw were tourists being qued into an enclosure where they took turns with three different tigers, taking pictures and posing with them.  Darren and I both felt a bit sad for them (the tigers).  There's something about seeing a wild animal subjected to photo shoot after photo shoot when all he seems to want to do is sleep (I realise I do the same thing to Darren all the time).  That brings us to whether or not they are sedated or declawed.  I asked, and of course the trainers and the operators of the facility told me that the tigers are not sedated, that they are nocturnal creatures and like to sleep during the day, especially when it's hot.  It's believable, but still I take it with a grain of sand.  The tigers we saw were fairly sleepy, mostly the oldest and youngest ones, the tigers from 6-10 months seemed rather lively.  That's not to say that the eldest tigers slept the entire time.  They would awake if roused by the trainers and at one point one of them got up to chase a coconut on a stick.  As far as their claws go, they are trimmed but not removed.  As far as their environment is concerned, the concrete and chainlink fences are not the most natural and heart warming place, but each area (the tigers are separated by age) does have its own pool and sizeable grass and tree area.

To be sure, when it comes to the tigers or elephants and such, I try to do my part by doing my research and making sure I'm not knowingly supporting (however indirectly) the abuse and mistreatment of animals.  From what I've read, the Tiger Kingdom seems more reputable than the Sanctuary (monks unfortunately, have a bit of a bad rep when it comes to tourist schemes) with regards to the care and health of the animals.  However, there really is no way to be 100% sure of the conditions of any establishment unless you're part of it.  So, despite some reservations, Darren and I decided to go for it, and I'm glad we did.

As part of the money grabbing, before you can actually enter the park you have to choose which cage you would like to go into.  The "Big" tigers are 23 months old, the "Medium" tigers are 10+ months old, the "Small" tigers are 6+ months old, and the "Smallest" tigers are newborns to 4-5 months old.  Of course, there are stipulations and varying prices that go along with each cage.  The smallest ones are the most expensive for 10 minutes with them; the small ones are the same price as the smallest ones but you get 15 minutes with them; and, the medium and big tigers are a little less in cost and you get 15 minutes with them.  Originally Darren was going to see a Big tiger and I was (of course) going to see the Smallest tigers, but if I saw one and he saw the other we wouldn't be able to go into the cages together.  We would have to stand outside while the other went in, which poses a problem photographically unless we want to pay 300 baht for a photographer (300 baht each).  So, we decided to both go see the Big tigers since they were cheaper and that way we could share the experience together and photograph eachother.  It was pretty amazing and our guide/trainer ended up taking some photos for us which was nice, and I'm pretty sure we were in there for almost a half hour which was a bonus!

The tigers themselves were pretty sleepy and sometimes almost seemed dead!  There were rules of course, you had to approach the tiger from behind and couldn't touch the front half of the body or provoke them to play (play=claws and teeth).  So while the trainers were encouraging you to lay on the tigers tummy or spoon them, it was hard to be nervous since they barely moved anyway... until you get slapped in the face by a tail.  It sounds like it happens to a lot of people.  You're petting the tigers rear and if you don't pet hard enough then it tickles and they react with their tails.  Being slapped in the face by a tail does not feel good.  Though the tail itself is soft and furry, it is also very strong and quick and it will definitely startle you!  The trainers were pretty good at rousing the tigers from their sleepiness (usually using small pieces of meat on sticks or sticks rubbed in meat) and consequently, we even got kicked once or twice but only lightly.  At one point, one of the trainers grabbed a long piece of bamboo with a hollowed coconut on the end and started playing with one of the tigers.  He reacted exactly as you might expect a cat to, chasing it and swatting at it.  Our trainer directed me to a spot near a tree, while the other trainer lured the giant cat towards me with the stick and then into the pool.  It was pretty incredible and seeing such a large animal play in the water like a cub was quite sweet.

After you finish in your designated cage(s) you get to wander through the park peering into the other cages and visiting the various age groups (from outside).  Right next to the big ones were the 6 month old ones and they were pretty playful with eachother and super cute!  From there we went to visit some of the Medium cats who you could tell were a bit younger and less independant than the Big ones.  They still played together and cuddled but were still pretty huge!  From there we went to see the biggest cat!  This particular tiger was the father of the others and was massive!  He had a bit of a beard too!  After that, we went to see the babies, the 4 monthers.  Now, before deciding to go with the Big tigers, I was in serious debate and the decision became both economic and practical.  Once I saw these itty bitty things all thought of price went right out the window.  I went back to the ticket counter and bought yet another ticket and went a snuggled with a very sleepy 4 month old tiger for my ten minutes (it was probaby closer to 15).  Even though he was dead asleep it was fantastic.  There was even a volunteer there who took pictures for me while I sat (unfortunately, the camera was on the wrong setting and all the pictures were super dark.  I managed to salvage them but they're pretty grainy).  The baby tiger I was chilling with was named Ninja, and there was another who really wanted to play.  The trainers wouldn't let him though because Ninja was sleeping on my lap and play time can lead to scratching and biting.

Maybe it's cruel to pay money to cuddle with caged tigers, but it was a great experience, an expensive one, but a great one.  To be so close to them and really get to see how magnificient these creatures really are is incredible.  They are so beautiful and so powerful you can't help but have the utmost respect for them.  Darren kept saying, "Can you imagine being hunted by one of those?" to which I replied that the very notion couldn't exist.  I'm sure a tiger would see you, decide it was going to kill you, and then you'd be dead!  They are such amazing and HUGE animals!  I'm glad we got to experience them so close!

Next:  Breakfast at 6am.  7am- Depart for Jungle Trek!  *Spoiler alert:  We've been informed that at some point we will be making rat traps out of bamboo and eating rats for dinner.