Tigers!

KANCHANABURI, Thailand - What a rush.

What an incredible rush, sitting with a tiger's head in my lap and then playing with a four-month-old cub. And I mean really playing with him. No bars, no restrictions. Just running around with this tiger like he was a labrador retriever.

These tigers are raised tame by monks at a large temple compound about two hours outside Bangkok (near the Bridge over River Kwai). For a reasonable donation, you can spend the afternoon with the majestic cats.

First you visit a canyon where the tigers, after a morning of play and a very large lunch, go to laze and snooze in the afternoon sun. Handlers lead you around to each cat and take photos of you petting them. It's very controlled and a bit touristy. But it's tigers! Huge, 440-lb. tigers!


Their fur is stiffer than a housecat's, but they're still soft and like to be nuzzled in the same places. For an extra donation, which I happily paid, you can sit with a tiger snuggled with his gigantic, heavy head in your lap. I stroked his chin and traced his stripes down his long body. The tigers are pretty sound sleepers. Had he not opened one eye and peered up at me, I would have sworn he was drugged. But he was just a fat, happy cat enjoying his siesta. Another cat slept not too far away with her four huge paws in the air.
Sitting on the cool canyon floor with the tigers is amazing but a little stilted as the handlers are pretty hands on. The real fun came with the cubs. Basically, the young ones were allowed to just run around as they pleased - as long as they left the compound's roaming boars and peacocks alone.

I was free to interact with the cubs however and how much as I liked. They have this low, purr-like growl and their powerful paws can easily knock you over if you're sitting a little off balance. The feel of a tiger's muzzle in your hand is amazing. I fed the cubs milk tablets, which they happily lapped up from my palm.

My favorite cub had the naughty sensibilities of Curious George. The colorful colors of the peacocks and roosters arrogantly stalking around were too much for this tiger to bear. It was facinating to watch him sneak away from his babysitter monk and steathily stalk the birds. When the monk would notice what the cub was up to, he'd run over and grab him by the tail. Then the monk would jokingly jump around the tiger, teasing him in the lovable way one does a toddler. At one point, the monk picked up the cub and threatened to toss him over a wall into the enclosure with the big cats. The cub scrambled up the monk's torso, over his head and down the other side, leaving the monk with a pretty good scratch.

The tigers seem so domestic, but instincts don't disappear just because some peaceful, saffron-robed men raised them. As the tigers were being led back to their enclosures after the afternoon tourist visits were over, one male decided to do a little grocery shopping on his way home. He took after a boar. About four handlers had to scramble to hold him back. The tiger relented, but he paused for a good while and looked hard at that boar, as if to say, "you would be dinner if I really wanted."