Zoos, Circuses, Safaris: A Gallery of Captivity

[GuateGojira]

My FOUR cents!

In the line of the topic, I have several stories about captive big cats, some of them since I have three years old. However, there are four experiences that I would like to share with you, hope you like them:

1. The White tiger:
In April of 2010, I went to a Mexican circus that came to Guatemala (forget its name). It was a "luxury" spectacle, high quality and in the main event, there was the act of the tigers. Good one, if you told me, but it is inevitable to see the fear in the eyes of some of those tigers. At the end of the show, they give the opportunity to take a picture with a white tiger at only Q80.00 (about $10.00). When the tiger comes out, I was just shocked, it was HUGE, literally huge, no less than 280 kg and about 110 cm at the shoulder, its tail was wider than my arm. It was beautiful and perfect in any sense, although a little fat, as it seems that this tiger was just for pictures (it wasn't in the act). When my turn came, I most confess that I was a little (just a bit) afraid of it, as from time to time, it turn its huge face at the people in its back and all of us were silent in the instant. I take a sit in the side of its back and when I put my arm on it, I did not even reach its belly, it was so large, and although I am tall for Central American standards (175 cm in height, with no shoes), I look puny at the side of that huge tiger. It was important to say that its hair was hard, like a brush for painting walls and the tiger itself was relative cold, not as warn as I imagined. That was one of the most important nights of my entire life and I still have that picture. I just regret that I was not able to go with my family, as it was a show just for the people of my job.

2. The warning tigress:
In may of 2013, I when to another circus. This time, it was a local one and I was not to the show, just watching the cages from outside. However, in one moment, I was able to enter and I was at just three meters of the cage of the tigers! Yes, I know it was stupid, but in that moment, I was just excited to see them so close (it was the first time that I went so close of a tiger cage), apart from the white tiger, but of course, this time I did not touch them, jajajajaja [img]images/smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]. Well, the point is that they were two young specimens, maybe of two years old, but already large (maybe about 150 kg for the male and 100 kg for the female). When I approached, the male rise its head and look at me for a moment and just ignore me latter. However, the tigress, which was in the background, look at me and put herself on its belly and don't stop to look at me. At the moment, the male turn around and give me its back, but even then, the female was not calm, it just fixed its eyes to me, and began to twist her tail. Simple, she was mad and it was time to go. The entire moment was of just two minutes, at the most, and although I know that I was relative "safe", I just imagined how little security was in that place, that I was able to go so close and no one, yes, no one stooped me. Of course, I went to the first people that I saw in the place and I explain him that it was a real danger to leave the tigers in that area, as any child could reach them. The man heard me and the next day, the tigers were entered in the circus. It is interesting to note that the male was so calm, but it was the tigress that was afraid. This was the first and the last time that I put my life in such a danger.... or not? [img]images/smilies/dodgy.gif[/img]

3. The rage of the lion:
Between August or September of 2013, I went to the house of my girlfriend, when in the way, it was a large field with another circus, and guess what, this time it have two adult lions. They were covered with a big cloth in two sides, but even then, several people reach the place to see them in the uncovered part of the cage. In that time, I was carrying the lunch, two servings of roast beef. So, again, I decided to take a little chance to see them, as all the people take a little look at them. This time, I was at least at six meters from them, but still I look them in all they glory. Both were calm and ignored the people, but at one moment, the people leave, so I approached a little more to see them and then, ooooooh my God!!! The male lion jumped in just a few seconds and his head was stick to the cage and I jumped too [img]images/smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]. The people that were somewhat close get scared too, but the lion did not roar. I think that the lion smelled the beef and reacted to it. I get to the house of my girlfriend with a great story, but as she hate all this type of circuses, she rejected to see them. The male was of average to large size, but with such a huge mane, it looked like a 220 kg animal, but I doubt it. This time, I swore that I wold never approach to a big cat cage in this form, and less with meat in my hands.

4. The "sad" and the "curious":
This experience was so many years ago (maybe in 1999), when it was a big circus near my house. My aunty and one of my cousins, went with me to see the circus. One man salute us and take us to look the place (again, we were not to the show, just looking the place). The man show us a big python, some monkeys and the mayor attraction, a group of 15 lions! The largest female was in a separate cage with three newborn lion cubs. The man ask us if we want to see the cubs, but my aunty say no, as she was afraid of the rage of the lioness, so, we saw them just for a few seconds. They were incredible beautiful, and her mother was sleeping. Then we went to see the male lion, this was a sad part; the male was in a ridiculous small cage of maybe 1 x 2 meters and barely of more than 1.30 meters tall. The male was just making circles without control, we ask to the man why the lion do that, but he just say to us that "he is just walking, nothing bad". Of course, now I know that this is a sickness that suffer many captive animals, and this showed how little knowledge (or respect) had this people to they animals. Finally, we saw the large cage (about 15 meters long) with the rest of the pride, all females and large cubs of about 1.5 years old, as far I remember. All of them were sleeping, but one curios large male cub saw us and began to jump in our direction. It was strange, as he ignored all the other animals and only looked at us. It was a great experience to see those lions, specially the male, as we were at just 2 meter of the cage. Now, I know that it was an unnecessary risk, but at that time, it was amazing to see such an incredible animal. It is important to know that those cages are fully close, the animals could not even put out they paws.

If you see the "positive" part of my stories, you can see that I could identify the characters of the animals, with the male tigers been calm, the tigress been very nervous and the lions always aggressive and curious. The "negative" part was the bad state of the lions of the last story and the few safety control with the cage of the two young tigers.

I decided to share this stories with you, in order to incite other posters to share they own experiences, at least the most important ones, with the great cats.

Greetings.
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