Joe Louis tames a tiger
Tigers are ferocious, predatory animals. Don’t be fooled by Tigger and his bouncy demeanor; tigers rarely leak signs of humor. This fear inducing nature is a large part of why people visit Tiger Kingdom, a self-proclaimed tiger sanctuary. How cool is it to get up close, cheek to cheek, to the master hunter of the jungle?! When the dangerous beast’s sharp teeth are bared on just a casual yawn, you hope it had a satisfying breakfast in the morning.
But the real reason people go is for the pictures. There’s really nothing else to do at Tiger Kingdom. The whole trip takes about an hour depending on wait times. You buy a ticket at the front desk – choosing to pose with large, medium-sized, or baby tigers (the price increases as the size shrinks, cuteness being the primary determining factor) and then wait in a queue for your turn. You then get about five minutes of cuddling and picture taking before making way for the next paying customer. Before leaving, you can wait to watch several tigers do tricks such as jumping through a hoop into a pool of water.
The pictures are the key. I would imagine that business was fine a decade ago, but must have gotten a generous boost with the advent of Facebook and the need for badass profile pictures. Tinder and Instagram could only have helped the cause. Having a tiger shot is becoming a mandatory step in reaching the higher echelon of social media status. And simply put, tigers are really cool.
But there is a moral aspect to the business of tiger-posed photography (for lack of a better term). There is an ongoing debate on the treatment of the tigers and whether or not they are drugged. Tiger Kingdom maintains that it treats its inhabitants ethically, while animal welfare groups such as PETA claim abuse. I don’t know who is right, but I tend to think that tigers are naturally violent creatures who don’t want to be tamed and domesticated.
In 2014 a tourist was mauled by one of the Phuket tigers. On one hand this may affirm that the caretakers don’t in fact drug the animals. But at the same time it is proof that the animals probably don’t want to be there under whatever conditions are present. Despite the success of Life of Pi, tigers don’t seem to be cut off for life in front of the lens.
Other Resources:
Telegraph: Thailand-tiger-park-reopens-despite-tourist-mauling.html
