We got close enough to see the tiger’s breath! Click to enlarge and see for yourself. If I had to come home from vacation, I must admit this was a very good way to do it!!
The Sumatran Tigers are in a brand new, outdoor, 5.2 acre, multi-level exhibit at The San Diego Safari (Wild Animal) Park. The exhibit houses breeding tigers and is filled with trees, plants, waterfalls, streams and ponds.
There are currently approximately 400 Sumatran Tigers left in the wild.
There were originally nine sub-species of tigers in our world, but three of these are now extinct due to habitat destruction and poaching. All tiger sub-species are critically endangered.
Poachers kill Sumatran Tigers for their bones which are used in traditional Chinese herbal medicine.
The San Diego Zoo and Park supports tiger conservation by breeding tigers to insure genetic diversity through cooperative exchange. It also actively supports The International Rhino Foundation whose mission is to protect Sumatran rhinos, tigers and other mammals in Indonesia, with seven trained patrol units that deactivate snares and traps, and apprehend poachers.
It is painful to contemplate killing such magnificent creatures, much less wiping out whole sub-species. Hopefully the efforts of the San Diego Zoo to conserve and educate will help to prevent further destruction.
For more info check out: http://www.sandiegozooglobal.org/ICR/purpose
My son volunteered for the non-profit ICR and can attest to the cutting edge work they do daily in species conservation.
Cheers to you from these incredible animals at Tiger Trails~
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Spectacular.
That is the word!
It’s certainly what came to kind. Spectacular photos, Cindy.
Awwwww, thanks much! Very kind~
Such a beautiful creature. You are lucky to have seen him and his breath. Hugs, Barbara
Yes, with few people too as the exhibit just opened and the tigers were interactive! Cheers to you Barbara~
I am glad you shared your experience. It is very cool. Hugs and light, Barbara
I was just reading your “Good African Elephant,” news. So encouraging. We are going back to Africa in 2015!!!
Wonderful photos of this great tiger, Cindy. And good information.
Pretty pathetic that we have destroyed so many!
Majestic!
Yes!!!
Gorgeous and intimidating at the same time!
Strangely, Rocky’s theme song came to mind straight away! 🙂
Down but not out!!! 😉
gorgeous creature…great shots.
Thanks so much, they are amazing aren’t they!
I wonder how many people can say they have seen a tiger’s breath? I wonder how many can say a tiger took their breath away? Wonderful post!
They are just absolutely magnificent. It was incredible to be so close to such regal creatures~
It is heartwarming to organizations and the zoo trying to same them and other threatened species. They are such magnificient animals.
I hope they can be successful. Our measure as a species seems to be to dependent on how we treat our fragile planet!
Magnificent creatures indeed. Beautiful captures 🙂
So happy you think so & cheers to you!
What a noble animal, it seems so powerful (in fact it does not seem, I guess it IS!!!) Amazing pictures, as usual. Thank you Cindy!
Frédéric
Did he who made the lamb make thee??? They are just formidably awesome!
Gorgeous photos!!!
Awww mil grazi!
Wow amazing shots! They are so majestic 🙂
Just so beautiful and dignified aren’t they! Thanks~
They’re Greaaaat!
Yeeeesss!!! 🙂
Stunning.
Merci beaucoup!
It really astounds me that anyone can look at such a magnificent creature and want it dead. I am glad there are so many others, like your son, who look at these beautiful animals and never want to see them die out.
Yes! I felt this way in Africa, with the grizzlies, how could killing these beautiful wild creatures be considered fun? More to the point, how could you train a child to kill, when most children naturally love animals?? My kids went on a hike with my bother when they were little. They watched him fish and kill the rainbow trout. That was it. We never did that again. They felt bad for the fish.
A good point Cindy. We have to be taught to kill animals. It’s not something that comes naturally, as far as I know.
These are beautiful! <3 As you may already know, big cats have a special place in my heart (not to mention wonderful photography subjects :-D) so it was even more exciting to see your post today. Thank you for sharing and wish you a lovely weekend!
Awww, so happy you saw them and appreciated them!! Cheers to you and glad you care about the magnificent big cats~
That is surely a good experience to taper off vacation hang over. Do they let you get that close?
Yes!!! Right up to them. So beautiful~
Fortunately there are people close to nature and concerned by the survival of wild animals.
Beautiful creature ! Great !
If only those of us who care could stop those of us who don’t we would solve the problem!!!
WOW…….was für ein schönes Tier und sehr schöne Fotos !
Awwww vielen danke!! 🙂
OMG!
😀
My thoughts exactly!
They are impressive,Cindy.
🙂
A magnificent creature! Awe inspiring.
So glad you think so too!!
Yep, I can hear him breathing. Excellent shots of a beautiful creature. Pawkisses 🙂
Big kitty- kats and they are mouth breathers!
Cindy, while I did click the like button it simply doesn’t do those photos justice! They are breathtaking! I am a cat lover and it saddens me to think they are so close to extinction.
Here kitty kitty… 🙂 x
My husband is a cat person too and he called them just like that and they came!!! Cheers to you Lea~
Have you an account on National Geographics??? go and get one if you haven’t and post a few of these photos… you will be the editors favourite very very quickly… I’ve been trying but I don’t think he looks at mine…lol
Your photos rock my friend but thank you! We are in the midst of booking Kruger for 2015!!! We want to go further north and hang out with the big cats and hopefully see a leopard, the only one the big five we missed on our last trip!!!
I love the northern areas, specially Pafuri area which is known to be the birders paradise of Kruger… as well as the big tuskers, we don’t get up North often enough for my liking… and looking at the websites and facebook, Mopani seems to be a good area for the leopard sightings… I’ve only ever seen the leopard in the southern regions, but good luck on that… can’t wait to see what you capture… If you really want to see the big cats of them all you need to see the Lion of the Kgalagadi or Kalahari Gemsbok Park… just so much bigger than the Kruger Lion and a different colouring, the black mane lions there are tremendous…
A beautiful creature! I can see where my Maggie the Cat got her looks! Lovely.
Maggie is a more diminutive relative!! 😉
But still mean as hell …….. all claws and teeth. Her shelter name was Snap – her sisters were Crackle and Pop. I chose Snap.
Oh, how very beautiful he is! Thank you for sharing these incredible photographs and for filling us in on the incredible work of the San Diego Zoo.
The zoo is a non-profit that actually deserves it’s status as such! Cheers to you Dor~
Magnificent photos Cindy. It is so sad to think there are people out there that can look at such a beautiful animal then shoot it. That first photo were he is looking straight down the camera lens is mesmerising.
Yes!! It was a thrill, he seemed to be looking directly at me through the lens you are perceptively correct! Wild animals and birds tend to look at the lens directly, I wonder why? And yes big game hunting reminds me of The Beatles song “Bungalow
Bill.”
“Went tiger hunting with his elephant gun. In case of accidents he always brung his mom.”
A cowardly activity~
Don’t think I know that Beatles song Cindy, but it is true it is a very cowardly, so called, “sport”!!!!
A really good capture. One could almost feel the tiger breath. I thought you might like a little of William Blake in return. You probably already know it, but It’s the thought that counts (1,2,3,4 ……) 🙂
Tiger, tiger, burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?
… more at
http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/~keith/poems/tyger.html
🙂
One can never resist Blake! My son wanted me to include a quotation. I should have, but am glad you did. Blake certainly saw and recognized the fire in their eyes. Such a classic powerful poem. Thank you Graham~
tink 🙂
A lovely tribute to a majestic mammal, and incredible photos, Cindy.
Visa versa 2 U X 2!!!
Just incredible – one of my passions is the possibility of devastating extinction of the big cats
Just pathetic isn’t it. What is it with some humans and their love of the kill?
They are such a magnificent creature, but then to me all creatures are magnificent, some are just prettier than others. 🙂 Thanks, Cindy!
Yes!! So true Peter, thank you~
We humans are wiping out so many species at an alarming rate; it’s devastating to think there are only a few hundred of these beautiful creatures left in the wild.
Great images, Cindy. I was thinking of going to the park this weekend. Were you really able to get close or are you using a big lens? Beautiful colors.
Big time close!!! Plexiglass separtion only in the interior spaces, a couple of feet outside. It is so worth it and best to go before the summer crowds. Try this tip. Go in the late afternoon. Get over to the tigers after 4pm and stay as the park closes at 5pm. The tigers wake up at closing. You can stay very easily until 5:30. A few people were still there when we left at 5:30 talking to the keepers. It is at this time that they will get VERY close to you. Apparently cost $14 million to build with $7 million paid by the director of Godzilla……
Great info, Cindy. Thanks so much. I think i will do that tomorrow. Best
is beautiful..
Gracias mi amiga!
I can tell it is breath… wow
Yes! And I like your blog title, truth is the only thing I want to hunt for!! 🙂
Well, Cindy, hunting is a really an undertaking. I just do my best. Sometime it is disturbing, so, I slow done and look at photos or poems until I am okay with me. Love your pictures! We can do our best. I like ‘The Four Agreements’ and now there is a fifth. That book is a project almost complete. The cellular pages are no where near complete and there is a huge problem in that area because some of it deals with they bring some of the future here. I plug away. I hope you have a lovely weekend…. love the pictures and your captions and wording!
Blessings of love we share in this light of our divine.
~ Eric
Such magnificent animals. I can’t bear the thought of them becoming extinct. So glad your son and others are working to save them.
It is hard to contemplate a world without polar bears, tigers, rhinos…. I wonder what is wrong with our species? Other species don’t kill endlessly for fun.
Nice kitty. Beautiful photos. I wonder how much of the world’s endangered wildlife ends up in herbal potions. –Curt
So many!!Rhinos, elephants, bears……It’s depressing. All cultures, especially ours, need to change and adapt in respect of our declining planet. Where will they get their medicine if they kill all the tigers?
Or even worse, their powdered aphrodisiacs.
I don’t trust myself to respond to this one…..there are less harmful products on the market so I have heard! 😉
Your photos are captivating….so beautiful an animal…and yet so sad 🙁
Blessitude!
Oh thank you, we need to improve on our stewardship!! Blessings~
What spectacular animals! I’m a dog person — always have been — but I marvel at the majesty and mystery of tigers.
So intelligent and capable of planning with super intact memories!
Wow. What a beauty!
Yes indeed!!
I WANT ONE!! Just kidding, but they are so gorgeous. (I still want one , but I know I can’t have one) Not sure which one I’m going to pin, but pin I will!
Cindy, thank you for these, and all of your beautiful pictures. _Resa
Laughing. I’m not sure that a tiger pet would go over well in Toronto……now at The Holler, we could use a tiger!!!! 😉
Your photos took my breath away! Cheers for your son!
Awwww, so kind! Hugz~
Such great pics of this beautiful creature🙋
I wonder if it would be possible to take a bad pic of a tiger. Does give me pause though, I often reject pics because they “are bad shots of me.” How come a tiger never has this issue???? My daughter is this way too darn it!! Laughing……maybe it’s not the camera….ya think???? 😛
Cindy, you are too funny….sounds like me. Your pic is adorable🙋🙋🙋
😉
Wow!! Amazing. Beautiful photo Cindy. Handsome fella for sure. 🙂
Merci beaucoup mon ami~
Tu es la bien venue mon amie ~ 🙂 Renee
They are so beautiful!
And we kill beauty it seems~
Reblogged this on Spirit In Action and commented:
Thank you for posting this Cindy! It boggles the mind to think that humans have destroyed so much of our beautiful world and so many species are already gone. I love the way you capture and share so much of the wild beings personality in your photos.
Awwww, a big roar of appreciation from the tigers and I~
Regal cat for sure. Always like them since I was a kid.
So glad you do too!! Cheers to you~
What an absolutely gorgeous animal. Tigers are my all time favorites of the big cats, Cindy, and your photos here are fantastic. When will you be home again?
whe
Hey cuz, we are home now. The Holler is close to the park. Hope your landscaping in proceeding swimmingly…..
Working on it this whole weekend. Pulling overgrown shrubs out, planting new (different) stuff, relocating some plantings, and adding a couple of new planting beds – not all this weekend, but those are the short range priorities in the program. Will post some soon. Hugs.
Gotta love a man who improves the homestead!
Cindy, these tigers are awesome creatures. Thank you for these great shots! Hugs! Veraiconica
Hugz and cheers back to you Veraiconica~