Tomorrow’s children
It’s no small secret that we here at Casa Fred are some serious animal lovers. From chipmunks to squirrels to birds to horses and beyond, we like most all the critters that creep, crawl, stalk, walk, run, and fly on this planet. One of the three of us — and I’m not saying which (but it isn’t my wife or daughter) — is even partial to animals that slither on their bellies in the woods.
But we especially love the felines, as is evidenced by the herd we keep in residence. We have cat toys, cat notepads, cat fridge magnets, cat cards, cat shirts, and tens of thousands of cat pictures. Last week, we had the opportunity of a lifetime, pictures of which Robyn and I both shared in abundance on our web sites. You know what I’m talking about.
Tigers, baby. The big boys. Five hundred pounds of muscle, teeth, and power, wrapped in a swirl of orange, black, and white. All thanks to a local rescue facility called Tigers for Tomorrow (if you’re feeling generous, they always need donations).
Robyn’s in Maine for the week, and I have nothing to do.
There are tigers near me.
Robyn’s in Maine for the week, and I have nothing to do.
There are tigers near me.
I know people who would love to see tigers, and would gladly pay to see them. Why, if I found three other people, I could go see them tigers and cubs for only $50.
Fifty bucks to play with tiger cubs again. Hmmm. Robyn would probably kill me when she gets back from Maine if I went to play with tiger cubs without her.
Wait a second.
I’d get to share the experience with three other people who might have never gotten the chance to see tigers up close and play with cubs. Yeah. Why, come to think of it, it would be downright RUDE for me to know about this place and not offer to take my friends and family to see it, wouldn’t it? Yeah, that’s it.
And I’m not rude, I’m nice. Approachable. Friendly. I couldn’t just NOT offer to take my friends and family to Tigers for Tomorrow, could I? I couldn’t be that self-centered and assholish. I mean, I wouldn’t be going there for myself, because I’m not that sort of person. I’m trying to enrich the lives of other people, because I’m such a nice guy.
Really, it was out of a sense of altruism towards my fellow man, and not because I was dying to see tigers and cubs again. No, really. I’m serious. I did it for them. It was like, a sacrifice. Yeah, a sacrifice. For other people.
Think she’ll buy it when she gets home?
She was biting at the fence, playing. Looks like a roar, doesn’t it?
More playing. Scary playing.
Anyone with a cat recognizes the “face rub.”
How YOU doin’?
Mr. Lion (his real name) came out to see why his neighbor was being so feisty.
She was just playing, and it disturbed His Highness.
The porky serval lays around and slowly bakes in the Alabama heat.
The black leopard. Black skin, black spots, black fur.
And mean as hell, according to the guide.
I want to just grab his head in my hands and skritch behind his ears.
Probably I’d regret it if I did.
Bath time! Tigers love love LOVE water…
…and they get very playful when in it.
It’s hard to tell because of the size, but one tiger is in the air, bouncing off the enclosure.
Every time I see this tiger, I think of hillbillies.
Probably because of the massive lower canines.
I think maybe he wanted to eat one of us.
This time, we got all four cubs at once.
They always seem a little unsure about the stairs, and it takes them a couple of
minutes to get down to the yard.
Is there anything cuter than a baby animal?
Preparing to stalk some toy prey.
Mom and dad brought out the pool for this trip.
The cubs were obsessed with my brother-in-law’s shirt.
He’s French. Make of that what you will.
Hey, does somebody out there have a toy?
Stalking the most elusive of preys…
…the Cookie Monster.
Blinding the Cookie Monster…
…before making the kill.
Once you kill dinner, you have to guard it from other predators.
Again I must ask: Is there anything cuter than a baby animal?
Time to go back in the pool.
Don’t tell anyone, but the topmost cub was, um, altering the pool
when I took these pictures. Fortunately, she did not alter it further.
Trying to seduce me by turning on the cute…
…so he could get a taste of human.
Full-sized version here, for detail.
Probably the best picture I’ve ever taken.
Full-sized version here, for detail.
