Along the way, we were told that Tiger Kingdom offers free food and T-shirts to tour guides and taxi drivers—this explained why the woman was so willing to be our ‘tour guide’ for such a cheap price. It worked worked out well because it was pleasing for everyone.
When Jessie and I arrived, we made our way to the package selection area. This is where you can choose how many tigers you want to interact with and what ages you’d like. We decided to go with the young 3-6 month old ones and the full grown 18month old tigers. Other choices included the newborns (which were SO cute) and year old tigers. We also opted to get a photographer to come with us and take pictures. I had researched online and many people recommended this because you actually get more time with the tigers and you can take home some great photos of the experience.
Our first stop was to the 18 month old tigers, who actually weight about 400lbs! Our photographer and a trainer came in with Jessie and I and we were introduced to our first tiger. He surprisingly was very calm and unfazed by our presence. Jessie and I took turns posing and petting this huge cat and soaking up the magic of being with something so beautiful. We did this with about 3 tigers in this section. Throughout the whole experience, the trainers were always beside us watching the tiger for any signs of aggression.
Because the tigers are not drugged and still have their teeth and claws, the trainers do have to watch out. However these tigers have been hand raised since birth so they’re used to human interaction. When I asked the trainer he said that they’ve never had any attacks on customers, but that they’re still very careful because tigers are aggressive by nature.
After spending time with the big tigers, we moved along to the small ones. Although they were bigger than we anticipated, they were still very cute and soft. They were much more active than the larger tigers (who just slept). The little ones were playful and friendly. Jessie and I really enjoyed these ones because they would play with each other and forget you were even there. At one point, two little ones were playing on a log toy and were chasing each other. Jessie and I were sitting in front of them and one tiger just fell on top of me. I was so shocked by how heavy he was, considering that he was only 4 months old.
We had a blast interacting with them and taking photos. The photographer also seemed to be having a fun time. He knew that Jessie and I were sisters, but he made jokes about us taking our ‘honeymoon’ photos. All in all it was a good day.
After visiting with the tigers, we had a small lunch at the restaurant, went and got ice cream and then Jessie went off to draw, while I wandered around the area. Jessie’s sketchbook attracted lots of attention from the staff who all wanted to see her drawings—it was a nice opportunity for her to show off her work.
During my walk around, I found some of the larger tigers in cages near the back. These cages weren’t nearly as large as the habitats the young tigers have. The tigers were barely able to pace back and forth in them. I was shocked at the little amount of space given to these large animals and asked one of the staff about it. He told me that after a tiger is about 2 years old, he will become very aggressive and needs to be separated from other tigers (and people). For this reason, they are kept in smaller, separate cages. I asked why they were so small and I learned that they really don’t have the space to give each animal a large habitat. He defended this by saying that they have a large habitat where they switch the animals throughout the day, so that each one has a chance to run around.
I couldn’t help but feel slightly saddened for these beautiful tigers. Although it’s not the worst life possible, they definitely aren’t able to run free. When I first got to Tiger Kingdom, I was overwhelmed by it and thought that it was spectacular. Seeing the older tigers in the back shadowed my earlier appreciation. Overall, it’s a neat place and I definitely enjoyed my time there. The staff really seem to care about the tigers which is good, but I can’t help but feel bad for the older tigers. I guess, in the end, it’s a business and they just want to make money.
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