You cannot go to Thailand and not meet some elephants. This is the day I was most excited of for the entire trip, and it did not disappoint. We did a full day with Tours with Tong; the most expensive one day tour, but well worth it (comparable animal excursions here in the USA are at least double the price and don't include nearly as much). The tour we did specifically was VIP Tigers and In Love with Lunch. I would highly recommend both the tiger and elephant part of this tour, as well as our wonderful guide Lily, who took the most amazing photos (and they were on our iPhone/camera, so they were free!). However, the tiger portion is less for the faint of heart (thrill seekers and animal lovers only). Update. Please read My Take on Animal Cruelty in Thailand post before judging this aspect of my trip. I love animals, and yes I did pay someone who was "exploiting" them. However, I believe everyone we met on this tour was doing it for the elephants' best interest, in order to be able to afford to take care of them. In LOVE with ElephantsVIP TigerThe cats were fun. It was so cool to learn of their personalities. The leopards, both small and large, seemed to not care about humans. We were allowed inside the cage with two teenage leopards, and they only cared for the giant cat toy we were swinging around. The large lions were lazy and didn't care much for people either, though we definitely not be allowed in the cage with them. The tigers were the most playful. With all of the cats, we had to stay aware of what they were doing, and be ready to move at a moments notice. My husband isn't an thrill seeker, so he didn't enjoy the cats that much. Even the baby tiger was around 45 pounds. The little girl, Moana, wanted to play, but didn't know her size. We were constantly having to give her meat to distract her, and it was left to our imagination what would happen if we ran out. The caretakers at the park made it very obvious they did not want tourists to get hurt. They kept pointing out she still had her baby teeth,, but she was still a good size to pin us down if she had the opportunity. After the babies, we got to walk a lion and tiger, and even feed a lion meat out of the palm of our hands. It was fun to stroll with the big cats, and I think it was as safe as could be. We would hold the leash loose (ours was mostly a prop for photos), and the trainer would hold another leash that would actually control the tiger. Every once in a while, we would have to switch places with the trainer so that we were facing the opposite side of the way the tigers were facing (I gathered this was more about safety than for the photo, but it worked out for both) We also got to feed meat to leopards on a stick through the cage. It felt a little like taunting them, but they seemed to really enjoy it. It gave them some mental stimulation to "hunt" for their food. We got to hold the stick higher and higher, and they would jump on the fence to reach it. And if that wasn't enough, we also got to go inside the giraffe exhibit! We got to feed these beautiful creatures carrots. While I felt perfectly safe, I wouldn't call them gentle giants. They really tried to force their tongues into the carrot bowl (notice how there are two bowls? One is acting as the lid to keep them from taking all the carrots at once!). I also noticed the zebras in the same habitat refused to even try to get close to us with the carrots, so I can only assume the giraffes are a tad aggressive towards other animals (but so am I, if food is involved).
In addition to giraffes and zebras, we also got the chance to feed pigs, deer, and macaws. It was all around the best day for any animal lover.
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AuthorHi! I'm Amber. I love spreadsheets and painting. This blog is where I post about my crafts and adventures. Archives
November 2018
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