Tiger overload
We made the trip back to Attalla and Tigers for Tomorrow yesterday afternoon, and this time the spud got to come with us.
I’ll get out of the way now, and let the pictures do the talking.
We had a different guide this time, one of the interns, and the cats seemed to
really like her. Or maybe she just looked like a big roast beef to them.
Several of the adults stood for her.
I absolutely love the expression on his face. He’s looking at the guide,
whom I cropped out of the picture. Such a look of longing on that pretty face.
Or hunger, maybe.
Mr. Lion (his real name) is less than impressed with us.
This is what happens when you turn your back on a tiger, as our guide had.
They freeze, go flat, and watch you with a scary intensity. Then they pounce.
Above, he thinks we can’t see him because he’s hidden behind the pole.
Our guide told us of another that likes to hide behind a single blade of grass.
…and after the pounce, he brings out the good ole boy act.
Even though they’re playing when they pounce, it’s pretty scary to see.
Cougars are beautiful, and rumor has it we still have a few in the wild here.
This pretty girl was purring to beat the band (tigers don’t purr, by the way).
How YOU doin’?
For one brief moment, Mr. Lion goes all Aslan on us, and we see who the king is.
Go ahead, you know you want to see the big version.
And then the wind parts his mane, his jaw drops, and he looks mildly retarded.
Mr. Lion thinks the spud would taste like chicken.
This big guy was fascinated by the guide’s water bottle.
Go ahead, you know you want to see the big version.
Still watching that water bottle. Looks like he’s smiling, doesn’t it?
Is there any animal more beautiful, drool notwithstanding?
Go ahead, you know you want to see the big version.
Looks like a roar, but it’s just a yawn.
500 pounds of muscle running to pounce on our guide, who had turned her back.
They sound like horses when they run.
And then, after smacking the hell out of the cage with his paws as part of the pounce,
he shows his kitty-cat side and facerubs the fence.
He posed for me, and gave me a beautiful picture. If only that damn fence weren’t there.
Benny the black leopard. Black skin, black fur, black spots.
Look above his eye and you’ll see the hints of his spots.
This is Furry, the gawky one-year-old male lion. He’s at that dorky adolescent stage,
waiting for his muscles to pump up and his mane to fill out.
And thus ends the tour with the big kitties. Time for the baby. This trip, only one cub was brought out for play.
Her name is Calamity, and she’s quite the sweetheart.
Blurry baby tiger claws
I was powerless to resist the belly, and she was powerless to resist chewing on my arm.
Want to make a friend for life? Bring out the bottle.
The spud feeds the baby. I stand in the back and take pictures,
fighting the urge to squeeze the cub to death like Lenny and his puppy.
She’s watching my hand here, and looking sad because she can’t eat it.
But she sure tried.
With her mama, Sue, who runs the preserve with her husband.
The love all four cubs have for those guys is painfully obvious.
The porch does NOT taste like chicken.
Calamity and the other cubs are being leash-trained, so that as they grow they’ll be
allowed outside their enclosure from time to time. She’s not quite a fan of the leash yet.
But, the bottle makes her forget all about it.
The spud bonds with Calamity.
Slurp, slurp, slurp.
Yeah, I probably took too many pictures of her feeding. It’s damn cute.
Ready for more playing.
Go ahead, you know you want to see the big version.
Looks fierce, no?
I think it’s dead now.
Watching the hand again, ready to pounce.
This picture cracks me up. She was wrestling with my hand, and suddenly
had the overwhelming urge to get the leash involved.
More belly lovin’.
The tongue kind of spoils her attempt at looking badass.
Robyn and Calamity bond over a drink.
This space intentionally left blank.
She started getting a little tired, so it was time to go back inside.
One last shot, happy in mama’s arms.
Simply awesome! Thanks for sharing =o)
Fred- Your wife looks H-O-T!!!!
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! That last photo makes me want to head-butt the monitor!
Looks like “invisible cats” come in all sizes. lol The look on our guys’ faces is so hysterical, when remove the covers under which they are “invisible” . . . “But Mommy, I was invisible! How did you find me?”
That’s so cool for the spud! What did I do over the summer vacation? I played with baby tigers.
The adult cats’ coats look so sleek and healthy. I can see they receive excellent care.
Lucky kitties to be in such a fine sanctuary.
Hee,that adult lion you referred to as looking a bit “special” almost has a “Clarence the Cross-eyed Lion” thing going on. Is anyone out there who is old enough to have seen that show??
You take such excellent pictures Fred! Seriously National Geographic-like. All the animals are just gorgeous, I wish I could visit there!
That chain link looks awful thin
Uh . . OK . . so when are you going to take one home
ms7168 - as much as we’d like to, we know that taking such a spectacular animal out of the wild just ain’t right.
stophq - believe it or not, it’s reinforced, and very strong. A ten-foot section of that fence costs $1000. They have some enclosures there (from the habitat they took over when they moved from Florida) that merely meet federal standards, and the difference between that stuff and the newer stuff is like night and day.
I love the picture of the posing tiger; I actually think the little diamond of chain link adds to the picture. (But I’m weird like that, heh.)
The tigers hiding behind poles and blades of grass cracks me up.
Great pictures! I know ya’ll had a good time. Beautiful animals…
Fantastic pictures as usual. You are incredibly lucky to get to visit with the three times!
Great pics once again, I am not all that far from it and having 3 cats in my wifes house, LOL, the wife and daughter would enjoy visiting there since its not all that far from me.
ON a side note, being 39 things here and there make me feel old at times, this time it was the picture of the Spud, Christ I think, she looks so much older than when I used to read from the other website. Dammit! LOL
Hello, I loved your pictures and I was wondering if you knew any place around South Florida where I could go to visit some baby cubs? I would love to see them and find ways to help them.
Thanks…
Jeannine -
I’ve no idea what might be in Florida. About the only thing I’d know to do is start googling, or maybe contact a rescue facility and see if they know of any in your neck of the woods.
u r sooooo lucky i wish i were u!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is sad to see such magnificent wild animals in captivity. They should be out in the wild roaming free.
But unfortunately we humans have made that impossible. We rape nature and drive a lot of these magnificent animals to extinction. They are lovely to look at and to touch, but it is sad to know that they will never know the wild that they were intended for.
Yes, they serve the purpose of educating us on what effect we have on nature. What upsets me is that there are still people that think they will make great pets and buy them with or without a permit. This is just cruel…..
Neil from South Africa.
We see on a regualar basis what the human ego and greed can do to our environment.
Must say I am rather sad to see these gorgeous creatures penned up like they are. Thinking the group might consider larger terrains for the animals instead of cages. They look very much too contained for comfort in my opinion.
Any chance of the rescue organization raising enough money to send them back to their native homes? At least then they would be acclimated to their natural habitat.
Shame on those that bring them to the US illegally. Hoping the individuals are charged and the trapped animal sent home on their dime.
Wow, I can’t get enough of these amazing photographs! (D I adore big cats to no end, these guys are all great ^^
You shouldn’t hold these poor animals in captivity!!! It is an awfle sin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!