The Tiger Temple

Dan and I met a guy one night a bar in Kanchanaburi who volunteered at a sanctuary for Tigers run by monks, called the Tiger Temple. He told us about a program where you can be hands on with Tigers for a whole morning. We signed up and a couple of mornings later we arrived at the sanctuary at 7:30 and were joined by an Aussie couple. The Canadian guide who ran the morning program had come to Thailand 8yrs earlier and met one of the head monks who said he was his son from a previous life and adopted him. For the next four years our guide lived as a monk. He left the monk hood, I'm not sure what you'd call it, and lived here at the Tiger Temple with his monk father and married a Thai woman. Well, this interesting guide brought us to the temple where we bottle fed first the 2 month old cubs an then the four month old ones. At least half of the milk dribbled down their furry faces and pooled on the floor. When they finished their bottles we were able to play with them for twenty minutes, teasing them with their favorite plastic bag and stuffed toys. As cute as they are, you always have to be on your guard as their claws are long and sharp and once they bite its hard to get them to release. The cut on my finger can attest to that.


The staff set up breakfast and gave our offering of Pepsi's and Tim Tam cookies to the monks (we were told these are their favorite treats). The monks recited the morning prayers as we tried to keep our toes pointed away from them because it is very offensive. Breakfast was a colorful buffet of Thai dishes. After eating we walked the baby Tigers on leashes to the nearby 3 tiered swimming pools but it took at least fifteen minutes because they walked every direction but straight, their curiosity constantly peaked by the slightest movement or smell. When they got to the pools they jumped right in, frolicking around like puppies and tackling each other for their favorite toys (you can see the video). We had to be aware of our position to the tigers at all times because if you turn your back to them they pounce on you, this goes for the adults as well. Towards the end, the tigers revolted and started making breaks for it. At one point there were only two out of eight cubs in the water, with the rest bounding away with the volunteers running after them.

We reluctantly said goodbye to the babies and walked down the red dirt hill to the seven and nine month tigers. It sounds young, but actually they are a couple of hundred pounds. We walked the tigers down towards the canyon with a staff member holding a second leash. We were constantly reminded to stay behind the tiger or it would pounce on us. Needles to say, we stayed behind. At the bottom of the canyon was a large pool where the tigers were released to play. We were guided to "the circle of life". A literal circle drawn in the dirt that we could not leave. The tigers are taught that this area is off limits, but if you leave the circle there are no guarantees. We stood and watched for 45 minutes as the Tigers pounced and wrestled each other in the water. They crouched in the water and crept around, resembling an alligator stalking its prey. Very quickly things would grow quiet for about 15 seconds, and then suddenly the whole pool would erupt in action as they chased and tackled each other. All of this happened with us standing only 4 feet from the waters edge. When their play time was up we walked them back up the hill and repeated the process with the one and two year olds who were considerably larger but also a little less rambunctious in the pool. In the afternoon when the tigers were sleeping the public is allowed in to see the tigers sleeping in the canyon. A they fall deep into sleep the staff take pictures of people in different poses with the tigers. We took photos next to them, with their heads on our lap, and laying down with them. Yeah, it was pretty cool!

Now that the excitement of the Lions has passed Dan and I are in Ayutthaya where we'll spend today and tonight riding motorbikes around to see the Wats that the town is know for. Oh, I almost forgot though. When we were in Bangkok yesterday I stopped by an Internet cafe and found I had an email from Kevin, a friend I'd made in Europe this past summer, and he said he was in Bangkok. We had first met in Prague watching the Euro cup in the town square and then we ran into each other again two weeks later leaving the Budapest train station. I ran out of Internet time to write him back, and Dan and I went out to breakfast. We sat at at table and I looked to my right and there sat Kevin. Talk about a small world! We've met 3 times randomly in 3 different cities around the world in the last 4 months!

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