Crouched, low to the ground, hidden by a tree stump. Muscles clenching like a wind up toy, when suddenly, all the strength that had been building is unleashed. Pouncing, sprinting, rolling, paws striking. Massive white fangs gleam in the sunlight as they are bared daringly. Sprinting, splashing, wrestling, panting.
It is play time at the Tiger Kingdom and the big cats are enjoying an aggressive game of tag with one another. From the pure joy shimmering in their eyes, there is no doubt that these big cats are happy and having a blast!
We paid to meet tigers in 2 different age brackets, medium (9-12 months) and new born (2-3 months). Going to meet the medium cats first, my heart was racing as we entered the gates. The tigers are free roaming in a large enclosure. They were obviously not sedated and were in a very playful mood. Watching them wandering around as we entered, running the rules through my head,my heart rate was significantly elevated and the sweat forming in my brow was more due to nerves then the hot summer sun.
Entering the pen with the handler (who had just a simple wooden baton for protection should the unexpected need arrive) it was obvious that the handler was "friends" with the tigers. The massive animals were visibly pleased to see him (not in an I'm hungry way) and wanted him to play with them. One came straight over to us and lied down to enjoy a rub down in the same way my dog does, rolling on its back after a while and exposing its tummy. While lying down next to this gentle giant, he bounded off to play with another tiger who had caught his eye before sauntering back for some more love. The other tigers in the pen were having too much fun to notice us, but this one striped angel in particular was a definite fan of affection. The 15 minutes in the enclosure zoomed by and in an instant was over. Having enjoyed the animated nature of the older
tigers, it was now time to meet the mischievous babies.
You are forewarned that you are most likely to get bitten by one of the 2-3 month old tigers because they are teething, so you have to be extra cautious and not allow them to lick you. There were a handful of tigers napping and the rest were pouncing around playing with handlers, various toys, and each other. If they were not playing or napping they were happily gnawing on the wooden benches. One of the tigers was adamantly trying to get another to play, so the one who was napping decided I was base, coming over to climb onto my lap for a little while before wandering back under its bench once his friend had found another playmate. You only get 10 minutes with the newborns, and if I thought the 15 minutes with the 9-12 month old tigers flew by, time was up in the blink of an eye.
Tiger Kingdom is an absolute must if you are ever in Chiang Mai. The tigers are happy and well treated. They are all born in situations that would never enable them to be released into the wild so Tiger Kingdom gives them a home and raises them with love.
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