My fears began to subside after spotting a
White (Bengal) Tiger to the right of
the main entrance, and he was not in someone's backyard. After musing at some
of the tourist ahead of me -- to include a scared child -- I followed the signs
into the gift shop which is where tickets are sold. The staff was friendly and
greeted me upon my entry. I was elated that they honor our nation's veterans by
offering us the group rate of
$8 (USD);
$7 (USD) off the general
admission price of
$15 (USD) per adult. I used that savings to purchase
one of their feed cups for
$5 (USD) that was filled with peanuts and
other goodies that certain animals love. I like that it also made for a neat
souvenir to take home but you cannot eat the goodies because, according to the
gift shop lady, they keep them outside where they are exposed to the elements
and insects. I liked that they give you a choice of colors; I chose
Black,
my favorite color. The nice lady then handed me a site map and highlighted the
places where animals were allowed to be fed. She then mentioned something about
a red pick-up truck that would take me to see the animals being fed but I had
missed the first one. I decided to walk for the exercise.
My first encounter just outside of the gift shop was a
familiar foul. I am from
Miami,
FL, and felt at home when I was
greeted by a
proud peacock who
decided to serenade me after munching on some of the goodies from my feed cup as
they accidentally fell out from my cargo pocket. I became a bit concerned when
he/she continued to stalk me in hopes that I would continue to leak goodies
onto the pavement. I then decided to head to the right of the park first where
I encountered some very active parrots and
cockatoos. These guys were repeating
certain words that I said; at least it sounded like that is what they were
doing. Either way I was quite impressed. I then decided to change course and
head in a more clockwise direction which is my usual strategy for these type outdoor
tourist attractions.
The first area of interest to the left/clockwise direction
was in a building that has instructions inscribed on the door
"Enter
here for reptiles and more." My favorite nightmares but I decided to
risk it all for you guys reading this article. I hope that you guys appreciate
the risk that I take to bring you the action by
"liking" our facebook page. Parts of this place
was still under construction but I persevered on to view a few slithering
beings as well as a baby crocodile. Again, I am from
South Florida so
this reptile was sort of like family to me; at least as long as he/she was
behind the glass. I assume that the new construction here will include
additional reptiles that will really add to the interest at this stop along my journey.
Maybe something like a
South American Anaconda or
Komodo Dragon
from
South Eastern Indonesia. Just a suggestion folks!
After leaving the scary building I was pleased to come
across a rest bench that allows us visitors' to take the load off, drink water,
or just sit and observe the animals and people as they stroll through the park.
The next area featured primates; however, I arrived a bit too early as they
apparently were late sleepers and had yet to get out of bed and begin their
day. I did get a chance to see some turtles and
Spurred Tortoise from
Northern
Africa enjoying a
very intimate
moment (adults only) so early in the morning. It turns out that they are
most active during dusk and dawn so that explains their extra-curricular
activity. In case you were wondering; the main difference between a turtle and
tortoise is that the former hangs out in the water while the latter hangs out
on land. They are both classified; however, as reptiles.
The next area, for me, was the highlight of my visit because
it was feeding time for the
lions,
tigers,
leopards, jaguars,
panthers, and bobcats. It was here that
I figured out the mystery of the
red
pick-up truck and how it factored in on their scheme of things. They use it
to haul the meat (mostly chicken) and people to each feeding area where brave
staff members (all women) either toss a whole raw foul
over a very high fence or in some cases
hand-feed some of those big cats. I
noticed that they leave the feet on and guts in the chickens. I will tell you
why in part three of this review. Please
remind me via Facebook if I forget! It
was here that I learned that the physical difference between a leopard and a
jaguar lies in their stripes. A leopard's spots are clear inside while the jaguars
have little spots within the larger ones. So I guess that means that you will
have to get real close -- in the wild -- to tell the difference right?
Thankfully no; because leopards are found in
Africa and
Asia
while jaguars hang out from
South America to the
Southwestern United
States. It was in this area that I ran into that
scared kid again, witnessed first-hand
how brave vultures can be when it comes
to their feeding time, and how brave I can be while approached by a big bad
White Tiger.
A
Black leopard is also known as a panther and my
favorite of the bunch because
Black is my favorite color and why I also
like
Black Labs, rabbits, etc... You can even adopt one of these big
cats like
Mystique which gives you
special privileges and access. The feedings ended about
10 AM and in the
winter months I am told that they begin at
2 PM starting in
December.
I highly suggest getting here to witness these events because they are simply
da bomb! In addition, you do not have to worry about these big cats looking at
you as if you are their next meal.
Smile! It was now time for me to take
a water break as the temperature was about to climb on this summer day in
July.
It turns out that I picked the right spot next to these
very cute baby lions that seemed to be
just as entertained by me as I was of them. One of the staff ladies said that
they were just seven months old and already larger than most dogs. While observing
them frolic about and play-fight with each other, I can understand why some
people are inclined to think that they can keep them as pets. Well, at the end
of the day, we must remember that these are in fact wild animals that require
special handling, care, and most-importantly containment; and the reason for
places like
Tiger World to exist.
I noticed that the crowd had increased quite a bit since I
arrived just before opening at
9 AM sharp. There were now people
everywhere in this quaint personable endangered wildlife preserve. My
attention was suddenly turned back to the area where the
Common Gibbon was kept as they
began to make a sound
similar to a very loud smoke alarm. In fact; it was so
loud that it startled the folks that were near the cage causing them to flee in
fear. I decided to keep my distance as well after remembering a scene from my
favorite movie --
Cooley
High -- where a gorilla flung his feces at
Pooter; one of the title
characters. If you are like me and have never heard of these type animals they
hang out in
China,
Laos, and
Thailand, and are classified
as tailless apes.
Well folks, that does it for part one of my three part
review of
Tiger World in
Rockwell,
NC. Check back next
month for part two with more exciting adventures, pics, and vids. I suggest
"liking" our
Facebook page to be notified when my
article is published.
To Part II >>>If you would like to schedule a group visit to
Tiger World click here for a quote!
