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PETTING TIGERS IN THAILAND

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Richard

First… I have to thank my mother, who, when she found out that I was in
Thailand, told me that she heard that there was a place there where one could
actually get up close and personal with a real (live) tiger (and not die of
course). I knew right away that the chance to really touch and interact with a
tiger is something that I absolutely have to do…. I mean, where else am I going
to get this opportunity? She wasn’t sure of the name of the place, but, as with
most things, a quick google search took care of that… Now, somewhat
surprisingly, there’s actually several places where one can do this in Thailand.
One of them, Tiger Kingdom, is located in Chiang Mai, Thailand’s second largest
city, located in north of the country… a place I was planning on seeing anyhow…
so, I packed my bags, bought a train ticket and was off.

As an aside about Chiang Mai and Thailand in general… this place is very, very
touristy. Not to say that I can’t see why… but it’s little funny for me since
it’s the first really touristic place I’ve been in a while (there are many, many
tourists in India, but there are so many Indians that it doesn’t feel too
touristy… at least in my limited experience). And Chiang Mai in particular feels
like a western expat town… I think 3/4’s of the people on the train here from
Bangkok were western tourists, and everywhere I go here it seems that I see more
westerners than Thais… maybe it also has something to do with the fact that I’ve
met more Americans here in the last three weeks than I have on my entire trip up
until this point? I even met a guy from San Diego (where I grew up) on the train
to Chiang Mai… It’s nice from the perspective of it being very easy to meet
people, but at times it can feel a bit like an expat Disneyland (I’m sure I
could just get out a little further away from the main tourist hot spots and it
would feel a bit more like actually being in a foreign country). So, again, not
to knock it, as I can see why people are drawn here, but just a touch strange
for me is all…

Anyhow, back to the tigers (I know why you’re all here). As I said above, the
Tiger Kingdom is one of several places in Thailand where one can pet a tiger.
Here’s their website and another article for more information than I can give
you. The long and short of it is that they have tigers, from cubs to fully
grown, and you pay to be in the cage with them (as well as staff) for about 10
minutes. For all you MBA’s out there, the place is one of the most
professionally run establishments I’ve been to in a foreign country in quite
some time… sensible line management, extra clean, quick turnover, no hassle…
they get you in and out quickly, but without making you feel cheated… I was
quite impressed. Pricing was by the size of the tiger… with the biggest being
the cheapest (sizes being labeled, smallest, small, medium and big)… and then
you could buy package deals (biggest, smallest, small) for less than the price
of of the all the individual ones combined… plus extras like professional photo
CDs and the like for an extra price. I figured I wanted to see the cubs and the
fully grown suckers, so I got a package (smallest, small, big) as it was only
100 Baht more than the price for just the smallest and biggest ala carte. And
what can I say… it was amazing… some photos:

Advertisement





Nap time…



Check out the fangs on even the smallest tiger…

The rules…. posted everywhere.



Got yer’ tail…

 

Amazing to be up close and personal with actual (live) tigers. The cubs are
very, very cute (obviously) an the big ones are just amazingly impressive up
close… enormous and powerful, yet graceful and sleek somehow…just wow. Now… all
of the touch a tiger sites in Thailand are dogged (may maybe deservedly) by
allegations that the tigers are sedated via drugs to be able to interact the way
they do. The Tiger Kingdom has a huge response/fact sheet posted up in the front
of the queue stating why they would never drug their tigers and why the tigers
are so calm (raised around humans, used to being petted, fed twice daily,
resting in the heat while covered with fur, general cat behavior of sleeping the
day away, etc.). From my perspective, the tigers did seem a bit groggy, but it
was the middle of the day and they’re cats that are used to humans (they are
also all clearly well fed judging by the size of their bellies)… so I can see
where the drug allegations come from, but I just couldn’t tell for myself (not
really knowing what to look for and not being a tiger expert and all). All in
all, despite a twinge of anthropomorphic guilt at seeing
such magnificent creatures in cages, being able to get up close and personal
with them was a spectacular experience… maybe not one I’d do again, but
something I’m very glad I’ve now done once.






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RELATED

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This entry was posted in Thailand by Richard. Bookmark the permalink.


7 THOUGHTS ON “PETTING TIGERS IN THAILAND”

 1. S on February 26, 2013 at 5:29 pm said:
    
    O. M. G.
    
    Reply ↓
    
 2. Caroline Caracciolo on February 27, 2013 at 1:57 am said:
    
    Was this a birthday present for yourself? I think your birthday was February
    8th. I have always wanted to do this, but It may not happen in my lifetime.
    Great pictures!
    Love,
    Cousin Caroline
    
    Reply ↓
    * Richard on February 27, 2013 at 6:32 am said:
      
      Well done on remembering the date… a present to myself yes, but just
      something I wanted to do rather than a present for anything specific.
      
      Reply ↓
      
    
 3. Edita Blackmore on February 27, 2013 at 4:23 am said:
    
    Wow Richard. Totally amazing.
    
    Reply ↓
    
 4. Carol, aka mom on February 27, 2013 at 6:19 am said:
    
    Who took the pictures?
    
    Reply ↓
    * Richard on February 27, 2013 at 6:30 am said:
      
      The staff and other tourists.
      
      Reply ↓
      
    
 5. LM on March 11, 2013 at 9:52 am said:
    
    These might be the coolest pictures I have ever seen in my life.
    
    Reply ↓
    


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