Hey guys---This Gulf Coast thing is working out really well... So in the future, I wouldn't even mess around with the Atlantic if I could help it. The Gulf is just--better. This trip is working out better than I had imagined. So much so that we're already seriously considering it again next year. (i.e., just keep your deposit lady--roll it over to next year...)
Anyway--we spend a lot of time at the Gulf Coast Zoo, which is only about 8 miles up the road. We got an annual pass for $40 bucks, and go there almost every day. Ella names pretty much all the animals, including the obscure ones (such as Capybara.) Anyway--I got :30 minutes with 3 tiger cubs yesterday. They are 5 months old, and weigh around 48 pounds each. Their fur is a little coarser than a typical cat, and these cubs are way more dense. The cubs behavior wasn't all that different from the standard kitten, with the exception that they're more predatory. The first thing they did was size up the smallest in my group (a 14 year old girl) and they tried to take her down. And if you turned your back on them, they'd jump on your hind quarters and practice take downs. They keep their claws clipped (fortunately), but it was still a bunk-house brawl. They tore my military cargo pants (cool!), scraped me up a bit and left a few bite marks. Court took a little video, which was pretty indicative of my time with them. (You can hear Ella wanting to see her favorite animal--Chuckie the alligator. For whatever reason, she loves the alligators--and gladly watches them for half-hours at a time. And all they do is just sit there...)
Anyway--we spend a lot of time at the Gulf Coast Zoo, which is only about 8 miles up the road. We got an annual pass for $40 bucks, and go there almost every day. Ella names pretty much all the animals, including the obscure ones (such as Capybara.) Anyway--I got :30 minutes with 3 tiger cubs yesterday. They are 5 months old, and weigh around 48 pounds each. Their fur is a little coarser than a typical cat, and these cubs are way more dense. The cubs behavior wasn't all that different from the standard kitten, with the exception that they're more predatory. The first thing they did was size up the smallest in my group (a 14 year old girl) and they tried to take her down. And if you turned your back on them, they'd jump on your hind quarters and practice take downs. They keep their claws clipped (fortunately), but it was still a bunk-house brawl. They tore my military cargo pants (cool!), scraped me up a bit and left a few bite marks. Court took a little video, which was pretty indicative of my time with them. (You can hear Ella wanting to see her favorite animal--Chuckie the alligator. For whatever reason, she loves the alligators--and gladly watches them for half-hours at a time. And all they do is just sit there...)
posted by Greg | 11:01 AM
2 Comments:
Dude, that... is... awesome.
Playing with tiger cubs is something my father wants to do before he dies. I didn't even think that was something zoos allowed. Did you have to sign a release or anything?
Well--this is a pretty small zoo, and they play by their own rules. [It's only 12 acres or so, and we're already on a first name basis w/ most of the employees. (Although we do go about 4 times a week.]
We had to pay 50 bucks for a half-hour. 75 if you want to bottle feed them. (Court got to feed them.) The money goes directly towards the care of the cubs. We did have to sign waivers.
This is the "Little Zoo That Could", which was featured on Animal Planet a few years ago. It's small, but these guys really care about their animals down here. It's a small facility, and they really do their best to give their animals the best quality of life possible.
As an aside, I came within about a foot of a 3 year old male. DAMN was this cat BIG. She fed him through the fence...but held the bottle as high as she could over her head so the cat would stand on his hind legs. This cat is about to eye level when walking on all 4s. On his hind legs, he was probably an easy 7 or 8 feet. Imposing is an understatement. None of us wouldn't have a chance w/ these animals. Even the 5 month old cubs feel like they have lead in their paws.
Yeah--great experience.
Oh--one last thing... they stop doing these tiger encounters when the cubs hit 50 pounds--so we just got in under the wire. It was a bunk-house-brawl, I tell you, a brawl...
Post a Comment
<< Home