Tigers!

Sah wah dee kha everyone!

Today we went to tiger kingdom to see tigers of course! Sadly, there are estimated to be less than 200 tigers left in the wild in Thailand and less than 2500 in the world. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to be face to face with these magnificent animals.

We started the day off with baby tigers, the cuddliest of course! We saw three babies, Lanna, Jazmyn, and Thang Thong. Tiger Kingdom had a contest to name them and they just received their names 3 days ago! The babies are only 5 week old and about 2 kilograms.

Here is a photo we managed to capture of me with all three babies! They run around so much I am very lucky to have gotten this photo! Most of the mothers do not know how to raise their babies if they too were born in captivity, therefore the cubs are hand fed from caretakers who show them so much love! Since they are so young, they still have stunning baby blue eyes until they are fully developed, when they will obtain full eyesight.

We eventually had to leave the babies after our 20 minutes were up but not before I caught this photo of her beautiful eyes. 

Then we moved on to see the medium sized tigers. They are hand reared from infancy by human care takers so they are accustomed to being cuddled and pet by us. There are still some rules, you must approach the tiger from behind as a forward approach could appear aggressive to them. With the adult tigers, you must also refrain from touching their paws, head, or neck as this could cause them to bite and play just like our house kitties tend to do. They also prefer to be pet roughly as a gentle touch could tickle and irritate them. Other than that you are free to lay and pet them as much as you desire, even on the tail! These are some photos the trainer caught for me!

Here we are doing the same pose!

Here is my last photo with the medium tiger before we had to leave. Her name was Marie.

I would recommend that anyone who comes to Thailand comes to visit these tigers! These creatures are so breathtaking to see in person and its even more beautiful to see them up close. They are just like our own house kitties, just much larger!

Thanks!

Tiffany