Safety Concern @ Night Safari

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Ok this is probably a minor thing, but at the Night Safari currently in the area in front where you purchase tickets there was a staff guy with a young white tiger on a chain. This is more or less the same area where kids play at some playground setup, incl. my 4 year old. She loved seeing the tiger, it was in a cage on a trailer being pulled in by a guy on a quad-bike. Young tigers are basically young cats so it looked at all the kids running around with somewhat peeked interest, much like a young cat would look at some mice running around.

So far so good, but then they took the tiger out of the cage and put on on a leash (chain) with just one handler holding it and playing with it (pulling tail, patting/hitting it on the head playfully, etc). It was about the size of a large dog (larger than any Thai dog) but looked a lot stronger/muscular than a dog of that size.

So I felt a little uneasy that the only thing between a juvenile but pretty big playful tiger and a bunch of playing 3-4 year old is one dude holding it on a chain. As with dogs, you could do this every day for a year and it wouldn't go wrong, but really the beast just needs to feel like breaking away once and if the guy can't hold on to it when that time comes, then it would take the tiger about 3 seconds to get to one of the kids. (I've seen a young tiger do this, one at the Tiger Kingdom jumped and hit the bars of the cage he was in real hard when making a jump towards my then 2-3 year old. I have some respect for young tigers since then, and would really want to make sure they're in VERY proper enclosures and not among people & kids. So we left. (Was there just to look at the deer and to go to the playground)

Anyway, I know: This Is Thailand. I'm not really expecting any insight or response beyond that basic observation but still wanted to post.

[toptuan]

Two weeks ago I was in a TV studio in downtown Bangkok. They were taping a show with a guest trainer and two powerful-looking 8-foot crocodiles in the studio. The crocodiles (very active, and very fast when they wanted to chase and snap at the antagonizing trainers) were completely loose (no ropes, leashes, barriers, etc.). These were obviously very irritated animals, and virtually nothing stood between them and the studio audience which sat on the same level on folding chairs about three meters away.

I was aghast at the prospect of even one enraged crocodile making a beeline toward one of the bare legs of the girls who sat on the front row. Quite a tasty morsel that would have made.

I was in charge of 95 university students who were ushered into this studio to stand near the stage about the same distance (3 meters) from these formidable-looking creatures. After 5 minutes of watching the on-stage antics which amounted to torture of these creatures (pounding on their heads, twisting their tails, swinging them around in circles, until they snapped ferociously at anything and everything), I quickly beckoned my students to get out of there and continue the tour outside the studio.

As has been said many times on ThaiVisa: The "risk factor" computer chip is simply missing from brains here in LOS.

[anonymouse]

As has been said many times on ThaiVisa: The "risk factor" computer chip is simply missing from brains here in LOS.

I was contemplating this same thought on the way home, half n hour or so back, there were a couple on a motorbike with a young toddler who was sitting on the shoulders of the mother who was riding the bike, all obviously not wearing helmets, The father was finding it all very amusing as the young child kept on clapping her hand over the mothers eyes.To give the mother some credit she did look very p*ssed off and the father had hold of the child.....but still.

[Nio]

It is not a minor thing and if you become complacent with the non-safety routines in Thailand, sooner or later you will be a statistic

Perhaps you just read the story of the Swiss Tourist who has a broken leg and is all banged up in the hospital?

He simple went on an Elephant ride with a mahout, the male Elephant went biszerk destroying cars, building, etc before the swiss guy got tossed or jumped in panic

Wild animals are wild not matter how many rides they have been on

Using your common sense is best and always error on the side of real safety

[IanForbes]

It helps to keep the population down. We've got too many humans on the planet anyway. China has ITS methods, and Thailand has its unique ways. Both are equally effective.

Now, speaking of those pet crocs and cats....

[toptuan]

Now, speaking of those pet crocs and cats....

I can tell by your jacket and the nearby snow in the mountains...that's DEFINITELY crock territory!

[Chicog]

Now, speaking of those pet crocs and cats....

I can tell by your jacket and the nearby snow in the mountains...that's DEFINITELY crock territory!

<deleted> is Gary Glitter doing there, I thought he was in Dorking or summat?