With apologies to Emily Litella, this is not an aural mistake.
There is a sanctuary – they call it an Oasis – for the preservation of the Siberian tiger, one species that is in extreme danger of joining three other tiger species already extinct.
Let me back up a minute and tell you why this came to my attention:
My friend Annabel and I are planning a trip to India next year, for the express purpose of searching for and photographing tigers in the wild. Annabel is a real veteran of wildlife photography and photo safaris, having travelled several times to Africa to shoot (camera!) lions, elephants, wildebeests, and other protected species of large wild animals.
I was thrilled to be asked to join her on an adventure to India.
Of course, we’ll be doing a little bit more than tiger hunting.
You know: Taj Mahal, Jaipur, elephant cocktail safari; and the markets of Delhi (read: shopping).
While looking at tiger things online one day, Annabel happened across this very strange Google hit: http://www.tigre.sk/about-project and she immediately sent me the link.
Who knew!
Annabel and I met at our favorite hotel, Kempinski River Park, to finalize our itinerary this past weekend.
We felt it only appropriate to visit the tigers in my own backyard as part of our planning weekend.
It’s about 45 minutes east of Bratislava by car (we had a very nice young man drive us out there and back in one of the Kempinski’s elegant black BMW sedans), outside a small village in the countryside.
There are currently 29 tigers being protected. They are housed in large fenced areas either together or singly, depending on whether they are used to a group or single.
All of them were born in captivity and cannot be returned to the wild.
Some have been rescued from some pretty creepy owners.
All of them are now happy, content and live in an environment where they do not suffer from either physical or psychological problems. There is no “caged behavior,” such as pacing back and forth. And they definitely have their claws.
This guy’s sleeping off a very nice lunch
We visited on Sunday afternoon and there were a smattering of people, many with small children also visiting.
Annabel communes with one of the cats:
The Oasis subsists on donations, mostly from private individuals. It’s not a fancy schmancy place like the San Diego zoo or Disney’s Animal Kingdom; but it is solely dedicated to helping to prevent the extinction of yet one more tiger species.
The website encourages you to visit – there is no entry fee – and if you want to bring a treat for the tigers, it suggests chicken and whipped cream(!).
Our exceptionally generous friends at Kempinski supplied us with nice, fat drumsticks and hand-whipped cream (I think Chef Juhnke may have added a bit of vanilla for extra taste). Micah had our package ready for us Sunday afternoon.
Here’s a shot of our first two boys getting their drumsticks:
There are three tigers in this ‘garden,’ two males and a female.
They are HUGE. And the boys don’t seem to be very gentlemanly: they pushed the girl out of the way so as to get more of the drumsticks.
And they get grumpy at one another on occasion too:
But as you can see, they make up quickly too.
After popping a couple of bills into the donation box, we were invited into one of the pens to give one of the girls a little bum rub:
And a little hand-lick:
If you have ever had a bovine calf suck your hand (we Minnesotans/Michiganders/Ohioans have easy access to dairy farms), this is ‘way stranger: much like hard sand-paper.
But I guess the cats really enjoy the whipped cream:
The volunteers help mostly on the weekend. One volunteer travels every other weekend from Prague (about a 6-hour drive) to volunteer during the weekend.
The Oasis is currently at capacity. While they have raised cubs, they must regulate pregnancy so that they don’t get overcrowded. Fifty kilos of meat a day for each of these cats. May they live long and prosper.
We are both now looking forward to seeing Indian cousins in the wild.
Oh. I see I have bored some of them.
Author note: the videos are mine, the beautiful still photography is Annabel’s