Since posting pictures of my Tiger Kingdom adventure to my Facebook page I have received a number of questions about the treatment of the tigers and whether or not they are sedated. I honestly had the same questions myself, and am happy to report that the tiger are not sedated or treated poorly. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised with the treatment of the animals at Tiger Kingdom in Chiang Mai. They are certainly treated no worse then an animal in a zoo. They are given plenty of space in their enclosures, which are kept clean, and they are kept about 3-5 animals in a cage, so they can interact with and play with each other. Large, medium, small and baby tigers are kept separated so the animals seem pretty safe in their small groups.
So how is it you can walk up and pet these majestic, large beasts without sedating them? Its actually quite simple. To begin with, tigers are naturally nocturnal animals, so during the day, and especially when it is hot they are relatively docile. Add on to that, that these cats have been raise from infancy being touched, pet, played with and exposed to the public, almost to the point of be desensitized to it. That may seen cruel, in itself, but they seemed to me to enjoy it or completely ignore the attention. The relationships that the staff had with the tigers of all sizes seemed really playful and loving. The only discipline I witnessed was a gentle tap on the nose with a bamboo pole if the tiger got a little too rough, which was no more then you would discipline a dog by tapping it on the nose if it growled or bit.
I had such a magical time at Tiger Kingdom, Chiang Mai, and would highly recommend the experience to anyone visiting the area.
So how is it you can walk up and pet these majestic, large beasts without sedating them? Its actually quite simple. To begin with, tigers are naturally nocturnal animals, so during the day, and especially when it is hot they are relatively docile. Add on to that, that these cats have been raise from infancy being touched, pet, played with and exposed to the public, almost to the point of be desensitized to it. That may seen cruel, in itself, but they seemed to me to enjoy it or completely ignore the attention. The relationships that the staff had with the tigers of all sizes seemed really playful and loving. The only discipline I witnessed was a gentle tap on the nose with a bamboo pole if the tiger got a little too rough, which was no more then you would discipline a dog by tapping it on the nose if it growled or bit.
I had such a magical time at Tiger Kingdom, Chiang Mai, and would highly recommend the experience to anyone visiting the area.
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bunny ears!
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nap time with baby tigers
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i think i look more fierce than the tiger in this one ...haha!
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