I've been to Tiger Kingdom just to the north of Chiang Mai, pretty amazing place and they apparently have a program to release the adult tigers into a large reserve as well.
We went on to the Maesa elephant camp after, well worth a visit, got one of the paintings done by the elephants on the wall in front of me.

I was in SA at the end of last year. In a cage stroking a 5 month old Lion taht was still the size of a good size dog.
I am nealing down like you are in that pic and I hear somebody behind me say look its stalking him.

Next thing one has its jaws clamped around my throat and claws in my back at chest. I stayed calm because it wasnt hurting me. then it start putting more pressure on my neck so I stood up. Christ it was heavy.

Shirt was in taters. Guy in teh cage said if it was around 7 months old my head would have been off.

Want one.

They are fking fast too. Codswold safari park when I was a boy about 8 or so. they had a load of them behind a low wall with a bit of a moat. I leaned in to stroke one and it struck like fking lightening. Two prefect holes in my hand. Hurt like hell.

We did this at Cango in SA
http://www.cango.co.za/

3 lots, tigers cubs, cheetah cubs and Cheetah adolescents.
Tigers and Cheetah cubs were great.
The bigger cheetahs had been persuaded out of their house to come and see us so were a little grumpy which made it a bit scary - they looked to us like fully grown animals!

I've often wondered if a cheetah would be powerful and big enough to kill a human... Apparently there are no recorded instances of this in the wild. But, seems they have the potential to make risky pets from this report

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/cheetah-kills-wom...

It was all quiet when we were there but I have noticed a national newspaper did a write up of it more recently.

been there, was trying to work out how to nab one. seemed ridiculously easy to be able to steal a penguin there - about a 2ft high wall and i'd parked my car just around the corner with no gate!

I think a lynx would be rather good... this one looks oddly human...



Bloody great feet!

I'd quite like a snow leopard or a black panther, something cuddly...

I went to the Gambia a number of years ago, and booked a trip to see the local schools, fish market and so on with a local guy calling himself 'Del boy'.

The final part of the trip was to visit a small lake which contained 'vegetarian' crocodiles.

Very much a case of 'if i hadnt seen it, i wouldnt have believed it', but we duly arrived, walked down a small, winding path, to find a lake containing various Crocs- a couple of which were thrown Cabbages.
Everyone stood around whilst the guide dragged one out of the lake, and proceeded to feed it a cabbage, and stroke it- would anyone else like to?

Nope.
Not a chance, but thanks all the same.

One of the things then emerges from the water, and walks straight towards me, and im told to 'stand perfectly still- you are by his nest'

Excellent.

In fairness, it did nothing more than walk home, and straight into its nest.
Meanwhile, i was busy attempting to convince my Sphincter that I was still in charge, and if im brutally honest, i wasnt far off getting 'the curious turtle'


Never again.

At the risk of quoting myself - it looks, again, like Cheetahs are actually quite dangerous and perhaps not the best pets. Daft idea to take young children in to animals so big and potentially dangerous imo.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaan...