Susan and I went to Medford, OR to do a little shopping. It was so much fun...all except I get carsick BAD!!! On the way there...it was pretty much awful! On the way back, I learned that if I have a belly full of Sonic drive in goodies...then it is not so bad! Hmmmm??!! Anyways, after a day filled with shopping and yummy food...we shopped a little more and then headed home. Our plan included a stop at the Great Cats World Park. We both have driven by it a bunch of times, but never stopped. It was the best purchase we made the whole weekend. You have a guide that shows you all the cats, and even better are the statistics they share about them, and the knowledge of their behaviors. It was very informative. The pictures were taken with my cell phone do no justice to these amazingly beautiful cats.
First up was a trio of White Tigers...believe it or not these are young tigers! They interact with "Catman" ( Craig Wagner, the owner and main trainer at the park) almost like Texas and Kitty react to us.
The cats are given tidbits of meat, to illustrate their size. I cannot get over their paws.... humongous! Their names are Sugar, Spice and Scooby. Sugar, the girl, loves to play and keeps the boys pretty worn out they said.
This is a Lynx. Many of the cats in the park have been used in pictorials for magazines, and filmed for documentaries and feature films.
This is an Amur Leopard, named Meiki. There are only 24 of these Leopards left in the whole world, this park has two of them. This cat is actually native to Russia.
A Black Leopard...probably better known as a Panther. They actually have spots like a Leopard. This cat was beautiful...black as night with bright yellow-green eyes. This cats name is Taboo.
An African Lion...just 5 feet away. This was incredible...and they use a hand signal to make him roar. Their roar in the movies or on tv, does not justice to hearing it in person. You feel it deep in your gut. It takes your breath away.
How the cats react to "Catman" is similar to how your dog reacts when you come home for the day. Shakka, the lion adores him. Come to find out, he has raised many of the cats since they were just a couple months old. They have a great bond...but he also knows that they are true wild animals and that their instinct can kick in at any moment.
This is a Jaguar, named Bogie. You could tell the guide had a different relationship with this cat....he watched her every move in a different kind of way. Turns out, he tried to kill her once. Yikes, she used this story to once again let us know that these are wild cats, natural born predators.
A Bengal Tiger named Samson....absolutely beautiful. He looked like a big sweet kitty...until he opened his mouth and you could see the giant teeth inside!
A sleek Cougar, named Taz. We also saw a Snow Leopard, several Serval cats...we even got to pet a young one...a female lion (who let you know she is quite the huntress!) and African Wildcats. I am intrigued with the African Wildcats, they are ancestors of the domestic cat, because of this the bloodline is a little tainted. Making it hard to find a true African Wildcat...one of the cats we saw was actually a clone of another. They are one of the first wild species to be cloned.
The park was a thrill! I cannot express how much I enjoyed it. We are already figuring out when we can go again.
Sometimes you need a little reminder of how beautiful the world we live in can be...I always get this reminder just south of Crescent City. Its a small rocky beach, but it always takes my breath away!!!
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