OnePhatMan

We made the trip back to Attalla and Tigers for Tomorrow yesterday afternoon, and this time the spud got to come with us.

I’ll get out of the way now, and let the pictures do the talking.

We had a different guide this time, one of the interns, and the cats seemed to
really like her. Or maybe she just looked like a big roast beef to them.
Several of the adults stood for her.

 

I absolutely love the expression on his face. He’s looking at the guide,
whom I cropped out of the picture. Such a look of longing on that pretty face.
Or hunger, maybe.

 

Mr. Lion (his real name) is less than impressed with us.

 

This is what happens when you turn your back on a tiger, as our guide had.
They freeze, go flat, and watch you with a scary intensity. Then they pounce.
Above, he thinks we can’t see him because he’s hidden behind the pole.
Our guide told us of another that likes to hide behind a single blade of grass.

 

…and after the pounce, he brings out the good ole boy act.
Even though they’re playing when they pounce, it’s pretty scary to see.

 

Cougars are beautiful, and rumor has it we still have a few in the wild here.
This pretty girl was purring to beat the band (tigers don’t purr, by the way).

 

How YOU doin’?

For one brief moment, Mr. Lion goes all Aslan on us, and we see who the king is.
Go ahead, you know you want to see the big version.

 

And then the wind parts his mane, his jaw drops, and he looks mildly retarded.

 

Mr. Lion thinks the spud would taste like chicken.

 

This big guy was fascinated by the guide’s water bottle.
Go ahead, you know you want to see the big version.

 

Still watching that water bottle. Looks like he’s smiling, doesn’t it?

 

Is there any animal more beautiful, drool notwithstanding?
Go ahead, you know you want to see the big version.

 

Looks like a roar, but it’s just a yawn.

 

500 pounds of muscle running to pounce on our guide, who had turned her back.
They sound like horses when they run.

 

And then, after smacking the hell out of the cage with his paws as part of the pounce,
he shows his kitty-cat side and facerubs the fence.

 

He posed for me, and gave me a beautiful picture. If only that damn fence weren’t there.

 

Benny the black leopard. Black skin, black fur, black spots.
Look above his eye and you’ll see the hints of his spots.

 

This is Furry, the gawky one-year-old male lion. He’s at that dorky adolescent stage,
waiting for his muscles to pump up and his mane to fill out.

And thus ends the tour with the big kitties. Time for the baby. This trip, only one cub was brought out for play.

Her name is Calamity, and she’s quite the sweetheart.

 

Blurry baby tiger claws

 

I was powerless to resist the belly, and she was powerless to resist chewing on my arm.

 

Want to make a friend for life? Bring out the bottle.

 

The spud feeds the baby. I stand in the back and take pictures,
fighting the urge to squeeze the cub to death like Lenny and his puppy.

 

She’s watching my hand here, and looking sad because she can’t eat it.

 

But she sure tried.

 

With her mama, Sue, who runs the preserve with her husband.
The love all four cubs have for those guys is painfully obvious.

 

The porch does NOT taste like chicken.

 

Calamity and the other cubs are being leash-trained, so that as they grow they’ll be
allowed outside their enclosure from time to time. She’s not quite a fan of the leash yet.

 

But, the bottle makes her forget all about it.

 

The spud bonds with Calamity.

 

Slurp, slurp, slurp.

 

Yeah, I probably took too many pictures of her feeding. It’s damn cute.

 

Ready for more playing.
Go ahead, you know you want to see the big version.

 

Looks fierce, no?

 

I think it’s dead now.

 

Watching the hand again, ready to pounce.

 

This picture cracks me up. She was wrestling with my hand, and suddenly
had the overwhelming urge to get the leash involved.

 

More belly lovin’.

 

The tongue kind of spoils her attempt at looking badass.

 

Robyn and Calamity bond over a drink.

 

This space intentionally left blank.

 

She started getting a little tired, so it was time to go back inside.

 

One last shot, happy in mama’s arms.