Visiting the Siberian Tiger Park, the adorable "big cats"—where's your majesty?
The Siberian tiger is a large, fierce predatory beast, roaming unpredictably in the jungle, making it extremely difficult for the average person to witness a wild Siberian tiger. However, the Siberian Tiger Park on the north bank of the Songhua River houses over 30 Siberian tigers. I braved the rain to see these wild kings of the jungle, only to find the "big cats" constantly acting cute and cuddly. Where is their regal bearing? Where is their majestic presence?
To enter the park, you must take a sightseeing bus. I rode a thrilling vehicle with no windows, only railings for protection, making it easy to feed the tigers. I was told that the Siberian tigers in the park are usually only half-fed, and visitors buy live chickens, beef, and other meat to feed them, encouraging their activity for viewing and photography. The day I visited, it was raining, and there weren't many tourists. I thought the tigers would hide from the rain, but surprisingly, the tigers, soaked by the rain, seemed even more energetic.
Feeding Siberian tigers is thrilling and exciting. You fork fresh beef onto a fork, wave it in front of you, and the tigers will come running. If you're not careful and the beef gets a little too close, a tiger will pounce! Before you can even react, it'll have snatched the beef and run off to enjoy its meal, leaving you standing there dumbfounded, drooling in your face, holding an empty fork. So, to keep the tigers lingering in front of your vehicle, never feed them beef directly. When you see a tiger about to eat, move the meat further away. Of course, don't tease them for too long, or you might anger the king of the jungle and cause serious trouble.
However, such tricks are useless against the Tiger King. Even if you take the meat far away, it won't stop him. The Tiger King simply sticks out his long tongue and licks vigorously, reaching for a small corner of the beef and pulling it back to snatch it into his mouth. Another interesting detail is that whenever the Tiger King sets his sights on a piece of meat, the other tigers don't even bother to snatch it; they simply back down and yield. This demonstrates the Tiger King's formidable power!
Speaking of the Tiger King, we must mention the retired Lion King. According to the driver, this once majestic Lion King will spend the rest of his life confined in this small cage. If he were released, the new Lion King would kill him immediately to establish his authority.
Besides the sightseeing bus, the tiger-viewing platform is also an excellent spot for tiger watching. Climbing the platform offers a panoramic view of the entire adult tiger enclosure. In the light drizzle, some Siberian tigers rest on their perches, some pace leisurely in puddles, some peek from the grass, and some are seen courting in pairs.
