A funny thing happened on the way to the game park.....

I forgot to write about one of the funniest experiences of the honeymoon. We were happily enjoying the little petting zoo when we discovered some of the more ferocious animals were kept a little deeper within the park. A white tiger named Bejal was kept in a cage in the far right corner of the park that had the most shade. 


Naturally, we wanted to take some pictures by the tiger. I went first and then we switched places to take Chris’s picture. I was messing around with the settings on the camera, needing to make a few adjustments. As I was jiggering the camera, Chris started bouncing impatiently on the chain-wire fence. When I lifted the camera and looked through the lens, I could see the tiger, and more importantly, the look in the tiger’s eyes. His shoulders had started to hunch as he looked angrily as the man’s behind who was so obnoxiously disrupting his afternoon nap. I saw his muscles tense as the tiger slowly, stealthily, started towards Christopher. I couldn’t believe what I was about to see! The tiger was going to pounce and I was going to lose my husband of three days! 


“Er…argh…Chris!!” I stammered as I struggled to find the words to warn my husband. I think the look in my eyes warned him more than anything and he began to move as the tiger charged. I squealed as the tiger ran straight for the fence then turned sharply before actually touching it. At my squeal Christopher half ran, half stumbled to my side. 


I breathed a sigh of relief. Chris had narrowly escaped the clutches of a vicious white tiger! And then came the laughter that so often accompanies adrenaline-rushing experiences. We doubled over, realizing what had just happened. I couldn’t believe the tiger had wanted to attack! We looked closer and saw that there was an electric fence right before the wire fence protecting the park patrons. 


And...since we are still in our twenties and still mildly immature, we had to try it again! I think Chris braved the fence about five times, and each time the tiger attacked. I tried to do it once, but the tiger only glared at me. He didn’t attack, apparently not that threatened by a small female. I suppose he could sense that Chris was another alpha male challenging his territory. Every time we passed by the cage, even if we didn’t touch the fence, the tiger would follow Christopher menacingly with his eyes, daring him to try it again. 


I don’t think these pictures capture the full ferocity of the tiger’s gaze, but I hope it gives you a taste of the mischievous fun that we had!