Life with Dylan

Category: tigers

  • Breakfast with the Tigers? Yes please!

    Imagine walking along a bamboo lined pathway in the quiet of the morning. You hear faint animal calls off in the distance and the moist dew in the air feels cool on your face. As you round the corner, you see green foliage resembling the lush tropical forest of Sumatra. Then out of the trees comes not one tiger, but two tigers, ready to welcome you to their home. It’s as if they are saying, “Welcome, come in and join us for breakfast.”

    Well, that is exactly what they are saying. Last Saturday, Dylan and I had the pleasure of being some of the first guests to have breakfast with the Safari Park’s Sumatran tigers, and it was magical. If you thought sipping coffee on a tropical beach was relaxing, then you need to try it with the tigers. Sitting at a table sharing good food, my morning coffee, and friendly conversations with others was nothing short of blissful for me. Why you ask?

    What makes this so special you ask?

    Well, because it isn’t every day that a tiger is roaming just a few feet away from you while you sip coffee and eat your breakfast. This new experience, Breakfast with the Tigers, is being offered as part of the Summer Safari Asian Celebration.

    Every Saturday, from June 28 through August 16, you are invited to have breakfast with the tigers before the park opens to the public. Held in the Tull Family Tiger Trail’s Sambutan Longhouse from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., the new dining experience gives guests a chance to see the tigers interacting with keepers and exploring their habitats filled with enrichment items.

    The traditional American breakfast buffet includes eggs, bacon, sausage, breakfast potatoes, pancakes, fresh fruit, cereal, assorted pastries, coffee, tea, juice, and water.

    There is something for everyone and remember, it is a buffet so you can go back for more!

        

    Not only does this new dining experience allow you to enjoy your breakfast in a tropical Sumatran setting, but you also have the opportunity to speak with tiger keepers, who are walking around during breakfast to share stories and answer any questions you may have about the tigers. The keepers will also invite one of the six Sumatran tigers to the interactive wall to demonstrate what goes on during a training session.
    What I enjoyed most about having breakfast with the tigers was the intimate setting. I was told that only 50 tickets are sold for each Saturday dining experience, so you won’t have an issue with crowds. When breakfast is over, you can continue exploring Tiger Trail for about 20 minutes before the general public starts arriving.  

    Tickets are $45 for Breakfast with the Tigers – Admission is separate and required for non-members, but may be added at checkout.

    Come, join the tigers for an experience you will never forget. Teddy sends his personal invitation and recommends the pancakes. He says the syrup is lip-smacking good!

  • Creating awareness for Tigers

    It is no secret that we have a very special place in our hearts for tigers. A few months ago the Tiger Conservation Campaign released this video about the plight of the wild tiger. This video was done so poetically and the voice of a child tells the story with such simplicity.

    Dylan and I can’t watch this video without feeling like there is something more that we can do to create awareness and help wild tigers. We have decided to make a goal of contributing $500 to the Tiger Conservation Campaign in 2014.

    Together we can make a change for these beautiful animals.

  • Big Cat Week on Nat Geo WILD is Back with a Roar!

    Strength, speed, agility and beauty are words that I would use to describe many, if not all, of the big cat species. As one of the world’s most majestic predators, big cats are facing more danger than they are causing. These animals are incredible and one of the most beautiful species in the animal kingdom. Sadly, their numbers are rapidly declining as a result of habitat destruction, poaching, loss of prey, and trophy hunting. Creating awareness about these big cats and Causing an Uproar is something near and dear to my heart.

    Dylan and I were thrilled when Nat Geo WILD asked is we would like to preview the new episodes for this year. I can’t even begin to tell you how encouraging it is that National Geographic is continuing to shine a spotlight on these felines by bringing their stories into our homes with the Fourth Annual Big Cat Week. Talking about the Big Cat Initiative and Causing an Uproar is something that we try to do on a regular basis, so we are especially excited to share our thoughts on Nat Geo WILD’s most-watched week for the past three years!

    Big Cat Week kicks off on Friday, November 29, 2013 at 9 p.m. ET/PT with Man v Cheetah followed by Super Cat at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Both are great and really get you thinking about these magnificent cats.

    What do you think will happen when Tennessee Titans’ Chris Johnson – the NFL’s fastest running back – and Chicago Bears’ Devin Hester – the super agile wide receiver and kick returner – participate in the first ever race with a cheetah? Cheetahs are built for speed, but could these athletes have an advantage over the cheetah or will Chris and Devin be left in the dust?
    Who will win? Anything is possible on Man v Cheetah.

    What if you could take the best feature of all the big cats and combine them to create the ultimate Super Cat? What would your Super Cat look like? Think about it … the speed of a cheetah, the strength of a lion, the skill of a tiger, and the climbing ability of a leopard. That would be one amazing cat!

    Saturday, November 30, 2013 features two more new episodes that will challenge your skills as the hunted and the hunter. Killer Queen is a captivating documentary that follows lioness Manyari’s pride as they face the challenges of ensuring her cubs survival. Cougar v Wolf takes us on a journey with big cat wrangler Boone Smith as he tracks the cougar-wolf showdown through snow-covered mountains to pinpoint where the cougar-wolf conflicts occur the most often. Not something I would do … a little too close for my comfort.

    Small Roar – Photograph by Beverly Joubert 

    Now it just wouldn’t be Big Cat Week without a feature film from my favorite award-winning couple, Dereck and Beverly Joubert. Made exclusively for Nat Geo WILD, Game of Lions is nothing short of extraordinary. Young male lions must earn the right to be king and this film follows that fateful journey. The Jouberts have a style of storytelling unlike any other – their films are always moving and often heartbreaking – and at the same time unforgettable works of art. Game of Lions premieres on Sunday, December 1, 2013 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

    I can’t think of a better way to end Big Cat Week then with one of the most famous cougars of them all … Betty White! Her love of animals, quick-witted humor, and pure passion to create awareness made Betty White Goes Wild! an absolute joy to watch. Not to mention that she was visiting my two favorite places – the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. It was wonderful to see Betty interacting with the big cats that we know and love, especially Izu and Oshana.

    So sit back, relax, and get ready to learn more about the world’s most extraordinary big cat species.

    Stay connected and join the conversation by following Nat Geo WILD on twitter and Facebook. You can also follow the hashtags #BigCatWeek and #CauseanUproar

  • Our visit to the Fresno Chaffee Zoo with Mek & Paca

    Over the summer Dylan and I set out on an adventure – a Zoo Road Trip to be exact – and our first stop was the Fresno Chaffee Zoo. This is actually what started the whole idea of taking a road trip because we just had to see Mek after learning that she had left the San Diego Zoo. Mek is part of the Species Survival Plan (SSP) and was transferred up to the Fresno Chaffee Zoo so she could be reunited with Paca in hopes of breeding and producing some more adorable tiger cubs.

    We spent months planning and even had several communications with the Fresno Zoo through email and social media. We were on a mission to see Mek and nothing was going to stand in our way, not even the major heat wave that hit California the day we left. Yes, major heat wave, as in 106 degrees when we arrived in Fresno on July 1st.

    Not knowing exactly what to expect, we were anxious to see this new zoo. Compared to the San Diego Zoo (100 acres), the Fresno Zoo was small (18 acres), but something we wanted to experience. Nestled away in a park, the Fresno Chaffee Zoo is a place we plan on going back to again. The landscaping was beautiful and the staff was wonderful. Everyone we met was so friendly and went out of their way to help us see Mek. Some couldn’t believe that we drove all the way from Orange County just to see a tiger. Obviously they don’t know Dylan and his love for tigers.  

    We entered the zoo and headed right for the tiger exhibit. The anticipation and excitement was almost too much to contain. We were finally going to see Mek …

    … but wait, the tiger in the exhibit wasn’t Mek, it was Paca. Where was Mek? We had come all this way to see her. After hearing our story, a friendly maintenance worker radioed one of the keepers and she was there within minutes.

    Her name was Katrina. She told us that Mek was in the bedrooms because they thought that she might be pregnant and had to monitor her. Our smiles quickly turned to frowns. That is until Katrina asked for my cell phone number. About 10 minutes later my phone rang and Katrina quickly became our new best friend. She had arranged to take us behind the exhibit and see Mek in the tiger bedrooms.

    I wasn’t allowed to take pictures where Mek was, but the important thing is that we saw her. We were just a few feet from her and she was so beautiful. Just like we remembered her to be. While Katina fed Mek meatballs and told us how she was doing, Dylan and I got to sit there and just take in her beauty – the beauty that is Mek the tigress.

    It was such an amazing experience. I have never been so close to a tiger. I just held my breath and felt tears welling up in my eyes. Her paws, her chuff, her eyes, everything about her is majestic. I like to think that Mek remembered us from her home in San Diego.

    After seeing Mek, we thanked Katrina and went to explore more of the Fresno Chaffee Zoo. Of course we spent time visiting with the handsome Paca too.

    One of the things that I really enjoyed about this zoo was the hands on tools and interactive areas where guests could learn more about the animals. The Fresno Chaffee Zoo may be small compared to some other zoos, but one thing is for sure – they care about conservation, education and creating awareness.

    Thank you for letting us be a part of the Fresno Chaffee Zoo Family for the day. Together, we can help save species with a hope and a dream.

    Stay tuned for part 2 of our Fresno Chaffee Zoo visit! 

  • Happy Global Tiger Day!

  • Fingers crossed – My tiger picture might be Wildlife Photo of the Month

    Last month I captured some pretty great pictures of Connor at the San Diego Zoo and wrote a little post about tigers. (In case you missed it, you can click here and read it) Well, one picture got lots of views on Flickr … like over 12,000 views in a few days. I thought there must be something wrong with Flickr because my pictures, the good ones, generally get a few hundred views. 

    So I decided to submit the picture to San Diego Zoo Global for the Wildlife Photo of the Month contest. To be honest, with school ending and our road trip I had totally forgotten about submitting the picture of Connor.
    “No Floaties Needed”
    Then today I see on Facebook that my photograph is one of the choices for Wildlife Photo of the Month. What? My picture could possibly be featured on the San Diego Zoo Global website? Cool!
    You see, when you are a little fish in a big sea of really amazing photographers, like my friends who also love to photograph animals at the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, then you will understand how something as little as being recognized for your work can be utterly amazing and inspiring. 
    The photograph with the most “likes” will be featured as Wildlife Photo of the Month, so if you haven’t voted yet … well, what are you waiting for? 
    Log on to Facebook and choose your favorite here.

  • Tigers are really just big beautiful kitty cats

    I know them by name and could watch them all day long.

    I can take hundreds of pictures of them – never tiring of their beautiful features.

    Their strength is evident in their powerful shoulders and legs.

    Their massive paws glide effortlessly across logs, yet can take down prey in one swing.

    Their eyes tell a story.

    A story of strength and a story of sadness.

    No matter how I look at them, these animals melt my heart.

    This is Connor.

    Connor reminds me a lot of his mom Mek who moved to the Fresno Zoo.

    Such a beautiful kitty.

    You can see more pictures of my beloved tigers on Flickr

  • The journey to Tiger Trail continues

    On a recent visit to the Safari Park, Dylan was stopped dead in his tracks when he saw this sign.

    He read it, turned around to face me and said, “Mom, that’s me they are talking about.”

    Yes it is Dylan. Yes it is.

    He was so proud and overwhelmed with joy. He just stood there.
    Touching the sign.
    Bonding with the tiger in his own way.

    I will admit I had tears in my eyes watching him. When I asked if I could take his picture with the sign he smiled and said, “You better!”

    He then proceeded to give the tigers a little more – because that’s just how he rolls …

    and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

  • Sometimes you just have to take the tiger home with you

    Have you ever gone in a store with one specific item in mind and walked out with something entirely different? You have? Great, then you will understand exactly what happened to me the other day.

    You see, a friend at work told me about a store that had shoes for Dylan, so I ran over there on my lunch break to buy a pair. Well, they didn’t have any in his size. I figured I was already there so I would wander the aisles for a few minutes. As I turned the corner, I saw it.

    There it was. Just sitting there.
    Staring back at me with those eyes.
    Those eyes that said take me home.

    Dylan would love this! He has been working so hard over the past few months with his Reading for Wildlife and Cans for Critters fundraisers that I thought this would be the perfect gift. The perfect way to show him how proud I am of him.

    The only problem was the size – 5 feet wide and 40 inches tall. I drive a Prius. Will this fit in my car?

    If I wait, I just know that someone else will buy it.

    The canvas was only $40.

    Decisions to make. Justifications to make.

    Was it in the budget?
    No.

    Did it fit in my car?
    Barely.

    Was it worth it to see the look on his face?
    Absolutely!

    After a little thought and some rearranging to do this weekend, we have found the perfect wall for our new friend. I think it is only fitting that after our tiger encounter last month, we call her Mek – in honor of our friend who moved to the Fresno Zoo.

  • Tiger cubs celebrate their 1st birthday at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park

    Hard to believe it has already been a year since these two adorable tiger cubs pounced their way into our hearts … Happy 1st Birthday Conrad and Thomas!

                              Photo courtesy of San Diego Zoo Safari Park – June 26, 2012

    You have grown into two very handsome young tigers and I know your Dad Utan is looking down on you with so much pride. Enjoy those tasty bloodsicles I’m sure you will get today.