I get really brave when I’m on vacation, especially in other countries. As soon as I step off the plane, I get hit with this euphoric sense of unadulterated adventure. I have to try everything – experience everything. I mean I might never be back in that country again in my lifetime so I enter this mental realm of: ‘it’s now or never’ and get hit with this dose of ‘you must attempt this.’
I’ve gone in cages with great white sharks off the coast of South Africa. I’ve rappelled down 200-foot cliffs over waterfalls in Argentina and I’ve swum in piranha and anaconda infested waters in the Amazon River. I pretty much lose my sense of danger when I travel and my vacations consist of stories that make my parents cringe upon my return. So when my Thailand tour guide asked me if I wanted to stop at this place called Tiger Kingdom on the way to Chiang Mai, my answer was of course yes.
If I’ve learned one thing in my days of international travel, it’s that foreign countries do not have the same levels of safety, as does the United States. There are very few warnings uttered and a whole lot of “everything will be OK” type statements.
When we arrived at Tiger Kingdom, I picked up several brochures and flipped through, reading all about how they pride themselves on the fact that the tigers at Tiger Kingdom are not sedated – not even a little bit. They are kept fully awake so as to provide the ultimate experience and photographic memories for the tourists that visit the establishment.
My journey began with a trip to the bathroom, which happened to be in the back of the park and behind a cage of three full-grown tigers. When I came out, my husband, Greg, informed me that these particular tigers had growled at him. I believe his direct quote was, “There is no way I’m going in there but I will take your picture while you do.” In his defense, he is a guitar player and uses his hands for a living and if he happened to be bit then there goes our bread and butter. (Wait a minute. I’m a writer and I use my hands for work too…oops!)
I went to the counter and asked the lady if they’ve ever had any incidents with tigers biting people. She didn’t answer. I asked again and this was her response, “Well sometimes the little ones get nippy but they are just playing.” Fair enough. I was ready. I signed my life away (when you have to sign paperwork in other countries before you go in and do something you KNOW it’s really an exceptionally dangerous feat) and off I went.
I approached the cage with my professional photographer (I paid for the most deluxe photo package possible – if I was doing this I was getting a CD full of epic photos) and the handlers told me that “everything would be fine” but they needed to go over a few rules with me first.
1) I was to take 3 deep breaths before entering the cage and really work hard to calm myself down. Tigers can sense fear after all.
2) I could only approach the tigers from behind and not the front.
3) I was not to touch the tiger’s head or front paws
4) No sudden movements
5) Repeat warning of making sure to not show fear
6) Smile, relax, and have fun
Um…yeah so I went in. They slammed the door behind me and it was too late to back down. Three giant tigers not sedated, vs. one 120-pound female. Fortunately the story worked out in my favor and I got some phenomenal photos to document one of the bravest days I’ve had in a while.
There were two full-grown ornery females inside, one named Jennifer Lopez because she had a big butt. The giant male who intimidated me the most ended up being the one I got the coziest with. I laid on their backs, pet their stomach’s and even made the big one purr. It was pretty endearing. J-Lo got a little feisty and stood up and showed me her teeth a few times but we worked out our differences by the end of my session which translated into some great photos.
When I left the cage, I said farewell to my new friends and was sad to part ways. Climbing into the back of our truck, we headed off on the remainder of our road trip to Chiang Mai. About an hour into the drive, I looked down and realized my pants were covered in orange fur. I picked up a piece, turned to Greg and exclaimed, “I have tiger fur on my pants. That’s pretty badass.”
For more information on Tiger Kingdom, visit the website. The best part is when the scrolling marquee welcomes you with “We love tigers. They are as not aggressive as you think.”
Words by Nicole Pajer.
