The author giving a thumbs up while standing next to a male lion. The lion’s head is tilted with mouth open
“Hurry, hurry. They are getting very active!”
These aren’t necessarily the words you want to hear while standing in between a pair of adult male and female lions!
There could be worse comments though, like “See that? Just there! Can you see it? Look at that. Wow!” That’s usually the type of comments I hear while straining my eyes and imagination to try and see what others notice easily.
Being legally blind has meant countless situations like this where I miss out on the experience that others take for granted, whether that be looking at animals in a zoo or in the bush and in everyday social situations. These experiences add to the frustration of missing out on everyday things as well as the wonderful. They highlight the differences between my experience of the world and that of ‘normal’ people and makes me realise just how much other stuff I must be missing out on. It is not so much the fear of missing out but the reality and frustration of missing out.
So when I was told to hurry because the lions around me were getting restless it wasn’t a time to be scared or worried it was a time to be happy and thankful. No matter what happened I knew I was in the middle of the action, not on the periphery missing out.
The author crouching beside a female lion. The lioness is standing with her head towards the author
Tiger Kingdom in Chang Mai, Thailand offered the perfect opportunity to not only get into the middle of the action but to get hands on with these beautiful beasts. The opportunity to touch, feel and smell big cats like these is not one that comes up often (at least not where I live thank goodness!) so the opportunity to get tactile with the King and Queen of the Jungle was an amazing experience.
Visitors are encouraged to pat the animals very firmly, they are thick skinned so they need a bit of force to let them know you are there and are not just an annoying mosquito to be absent mindedly swatted away. The short, rough fur on their backs reminded me of Staffordshire breeds of dog but the muscle and breadth of the lions’ rumps dwarfed that of any canine. I had to be careful not to get too carried away while scratching their backs and had to remember that while my domestic cats LOVE a back scratch it can get them into a state of bliss where they lose inhibition and have a playful swipe – a playful swipe from a lion could be a game changer!
The author rubbing the male lion’s back (whilst taming the beast with the classic Croc Dundee finger work. The lion is lying on his stomach and has his tongue poking out
The staff encourage people to pick up the lions’ tails for photographs. When it came to the male he had his tail firmly tucked under and between his legs. I must admit I was a bit nervous about grabbing the wrong thing! A blind guy feeling about for something to grab between a male lion’s legs; what could go wrong?!
The author standing behind a male lion, who is also standing. The author has one hand on the lions back while the other hand is holding up the lion’s tail
In reality the scariest thing about entering the lions’ den was not the big cats themselves or what may or may not be between their legs but it was the electric wire that circled the enclosure. I couldn’t take my white cane into the enclosure so didn’t have my usual obstacle finding tool, though it probably wouldn’t be a great idea to find live wires with the cane anyway! I also didn’t exactly let the staff know just how visually impaired I am in case they wouldn’t allow me to take part so it was with good luck and thankfulness that I avoided getting electrocuted!
Whilst my time in the lions’ den was only short it was a unique opportunity to get hands on and up close with these amazing animals and an experience that I am grateful I was able to take part in. There was no wondering if I could see the animals on display, no confusion as to what was in front of me; the lions were at the ends of my finger tips, in my palms and will be a memory to keep forever.
The male lion lying on his belly with front legs stretched out and a slight snarl on his face while the author again holds his tail with the other hand imitating a lion’s paw
The female lion lays on her side looking contentedly at the camera while having her back rubbed by the author
