1 post tagged “tigers”

Parking $5 DSC_0082

The circus is in town.  The tell-tale sign of the circus is the musky smell that drifts up from the bottom level of the parking lot where the circus has set up its temporary camp for the week.  If it's warm, the elephants are let out of the large, white tents where the animals are kept, and can be seen (and smelled) from the parking deck above.  It's not an unpleasant smell, it's just elephants-and-hay-and-turds-on-pavement smell.  Elephanty.  You'll have smelled it at the zoo before.

The other day I saw the elephants outside their tents during a rather cold and very windy day.  The elephants were standing there huddled together, bigger ones blocking the gusty wind from the smaller ones.  It seemed as if they were cold, but maybe I just assumed they were cold because I was freezing.  But, I felt like I could understand them thinking how absurd it was for them to be in Atlanta...on the pavement...behind a big arena.  When I saw the train of elephants shuffle methodically and calmly back to their tents, each one holding on to the tail of the elephant in front of them, I couldn't help but wonder why the pack of them didn't just decide to make a break for it...escape...run!  Maybe they'd tried it before and were busted...wrangled in and sternly warned by their trainers, "Try that again and we're shipping you off to Africa! I mean, um, uuhhh, Siberia!" 

The Tigers were also out in the parking lot that day waiting to be brought into the show after the Zebras finished their routine.  At first I was afraid to get too close to them (you know...after the San Diego Zoo incident----kidding).  I couldn't resist getting as close as I could.  The tigers didn't seem the slightest bit interested in me.  They were very interested in the other animals traipsing past their cages.  I thought maybe the tigers were attracted to the other animals out of hunger and possibly wanted to eat them, but now I think it's because those animals were familiar to the tigers in nature.  Maybe it comforted the tigers to see animals they would normally see in their natural habitat. 

The tigers did respond and listen to their trainer who seemed to have a close relationship with them.  The tigers seemed so calm, so I asked him if they were tranquilized.  He laughed and said, "No, if those cages weren't there they wouldn't hesitate eating me." 

The tigers and elephants I saw were magnificent, beautiful animals.  I was awed to be able to get so close to them, but felt selfish that I could do so with such ease.  Although I love to see wild animals so intimately close, I wish I couldn't.  I wish I had to cross the ocean and travel thousands of miles to see them.  That would be much more fulfilling and natural.