Want to feed a tiger? There are actually a handful of places in the U.S. that will let you do that.
The U.S. is home to a number of tiger sanctuaries, wildlife parks and zoos where you can meet and feed various species of tigers.
The following are a list of places where you can feed a tiger:
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo:
Address: 4250 Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Rd, Colorado Springs, CO
Website: www.cmzoo.org
Established in 1926, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is a 140-acre zoo in Colorado that features more than 750 animals such as tigers, leopards, lions, grizzly bears, Asiatic black bears, American alligators, African elephants, kangaroos, and more.
The zoo offers an Amur Tiger Experience during which a group of six people go behind the scenes to see how zoo keepers train and care for a tiger. Guests can feed the tiger using a pair of tongs and take photos of the tiger.
The zoo also offers other types of animal encounters such as a leopard encounter, lion encounter, grizzly bear encounter, giraffe encounter, elephant encounter, zebra encounter and more.
In 2022, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo was voted the #2 Best Zoo Exhibit in North America for its Rocky Mountain Wild exhibit and was voted the #3 Best Zoo in North America in the USA Today 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards.
In 2020 and 2021, the zoo was named the 4th best Association of Zoos and Aquariums accredited zoo in North America.
The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Bob Chastain is the president and CEO of the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.
Cougar Mountain Zoo:
Address: 19525 SE 54th St, Issaquah, WA
Website: www.cougarmountainzoo.org
Established in 1972, the Cougar Mountain Zoo is an 11-acre zoo in Washington state that features endangered animals such as tigers, lemurs, wolves, cougars and more.
The zoo offers a Tiger Feeding Experience during which guests meet a tiger and feed it from a special feeding utensil. Guests can also take photos of the tiger during the experience.
In addition to the tiger experience, the zoo also offers other types of animal experiences such as a reindeer encounter, a cougar encounter, a lemur encounter and a mule deer encounter.
The Cougar Mountain Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the Zoological Association of America.
The Cougar Mountain Zoo is owned by the Zoological Society of Washington.
Myrtle Beach Safari:
Address: 851 Folly Ranch Ln, Myrtle Beach, SC
Website: docantlesdaysafari.com
Established in 1982, Myrtle Beach Safari is a 50-acre wildlife preserve in South Carolina that features exotic animals like tigers, monkeys, elephants and wolves.
The preserve offers a Photo Encounter during which guests can bottle feed and pet a tiger cub, wolf pup, monkey or chimpanzee and have their photo taken with the animal.
In addition, the preserve also offers a Private Encounter during which guests can swim with a tiger cub and have their photo taken with the cub.
Although technically legal, cub petting is considered unethical by some animal activists who say the cubs should be with their mothers, not with humans. The cubs are usually taken away from their mothers while still nursing in order to participate in these cub petting experiences.
Myrtle Beach Safari is owned by Doc Antle who is an animal trainer that was featured on the Netflix documentary Tiger King and was also the subject of a three-part true crime documentary spin-off of Tiger King, titled Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story.
A word of caution about Myrtle Beach Safari, in 2022, Antle was indicted on federal charges of wildlife trafficking, animal cruelty, violation of the Endangered Species Act and money laundering and has also been accused of sexual misconduct and predatory behavior by several women employed at the park.
Out of Africa:
Address: 3505 AZ-260, Camp Verde, AZ
Website: outofafricapark.com
Established in 1988, Out of Africa is a 100-acre wildlife park in Arizona that features animals such as tigers, sloths, leopards, wolves, bears and more.
The park offers a Feed a Tiger encounter during which guests meet a Bengal or Siberian tiger and feed them using a special feeding tube.
The park also offers a VIP Behind-the-Scenes Tour, which is a 3-hour behind-the-scenes tour of the park during which guests meet many of the zoo’s animals and also get to feed a tiger before enjoying a tiger show in the Tiger Splash Arena.
In 2019, the park was listed in USA Today’s Best Safari Park list.
In 2022, the park was ranked #2 in AZ Big Media’s article on the Top 10 Zoos and Wildlife Parks in Arizona.
Out of Africa Wildlife Park is owned by Dean and Prayeri Harrison.
Zoological Wildlife Foundation:
Address: 16225 SW 172nd Ave, Miami, FL
Website: zoologicalwildlifefoundation.com
Established in 2000, the Zoological Wildlife Foundation is a zoo in Florida that is home to more than 150 rare and endangered animals like tigers, leopards, lions, monkeys and more.
The zoo offers a Feline Experience during which guests interact with an African serval and a feline cub, take part in a big cat feeding experience that includes feeding tigers, take part in a savannah encounter and take a tour of the big cat exhibit.
The zoo also offers many other types of animal encounters such as a lion cub encounter, a primate experience, a sloth encounter, an owl encounter and more.
In 2020, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission issued the zoo a written warning after a child was bitten by a chimpanzee at the zoo.
In 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued citations against the facility for failing to ensure the safety of animals and the public, after a lion cub bit a guest during a hands-on encounter, and for failing to maintain dangerous animals under the direct control of a handler after the facility allowed public contact with a large lion cub over 16 weeks of age.
The co-founder and president of the Zoological Wildlife Foundation is Mario Tabraue, who was featured in the hit Netflix series “Tiger King.”
Tiger Safari Zoological Park
Address: 963 County Street 2930, Tuttle, OK
Website: tigersafarizoo.com
Established in 2003, the Tiger Safari Zoological Park is an interactive zoo in Oklahoma that features tigers, bears, lemurs and other wildlife.
The zoo offers a tiger feeding experience during which guests can feed a tiger a chicken drum stick using a special feeding pole. Guests watch while the tigers stand up on their hind legs during the feeding to reach the drum stick.
The park also offers other types of tiger encounters such as a Tiger Jeep Encounter during which guests enjoy a drive-thru safari experience in a jeep.
The tigers in the park often jump onto a platform on the back of the jeep, which is separated from the cab of the jeep by a thick pane of glass, during which guests can get an up close look at them.
In 2021, Tiger Safari Zoological Park was cited by the USDA for causing animals trauma and stress when a baby otter and a fennec fox appeared visibly distressed during a VIP encounter.
Tiger Safari Zoological Park is owned by Bill and Melissa Meadows.
Sources:
Warlick-Moore. Heather. “Oklahoma Couple Runs Tiger Safari Zoological Park of Exotic Animals.” Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, 5 Sept. 2010, lubbockonline.com/story/news/nation-world/2010/09/06/oklahoma-couple-runs-tiger-safari-zoological-park-exotic-animals/15263045007/
“Tiger Jeep Experience.” Tiger Safari Zoological Park, tigersafarizoo.com/tiger-jeep-encounter
“Tiger Feeding.” Tiger Safari Zoological Park, tigersafarizoo.com/tiger-feeding
“Inspection Report Tiger Safari.” USDA, file:///C:/Users/16039/Downloads/USDA-inspection-report_TigerSafari.pdf
Hensel, Karen and Daniel Cohen. “SW Miami-Dade Zoo Featured in ‘Tiger King’ Hit with Violations of Federal Animal Welfare Act.” WSVN, 14 Sept. 2021, wsvn.com/news/investigations/sw-miami-dade-zoo-featured-in-tiger-king-hit-with-violations-of-federal-animal-welfare-act/
“Dangerous Hands-On Encounters: Customers Bitten by Big Cats: PETA Exposes Zoological Wildlife Foundation.” PETA, 15 Oct. 2021, peta.org/blog/zoological-wildlife-foundation-zwf-miami-animal-exploitation/
Packwood, Hayden. “Two Arizona Wildlife Parks Named Among Best Safari Parks in the U.S.” 12 News, 6 May. 2019, 12news.com/article/news/two-safari-parks-in-arizona-named-best-in-the-us/75-ba65ba65-10dc-4fe5-b63e-0f56e3d80e6c
“Ranking Arizona: Top 10 Zoos and Wildlife Parks.” AZ Big Media, 25 Mar. 2022, azbigmedia.com/business/ranking-arizona-top-10-zoos-and-wildlife-parks-for-2022/
“Encounters.” Out of Africa, outofafricapark.com/encounters
“Doc Antle, Owner of Myrtle Beach Safari, and Others Indicted for Federal Wildlife Trafficking and Money Laundering Crimes.” The United States Department of Justice, 30 June. 2022, justice.gov/opa/pr/doc-antle-owner-myrtle-beach-safari-and-others-indicted-federal-wildlife-trafficking-and
Jeski, Tyler. “Federal Prosecutors File Motion to Seize Property Belonging to Doc Antle.” WPDE, 29 July. 2022, wpde.com/news/local/federal-prosecutors-file-motion-to-seize-property-belonging-to-doc-antle
“Doc Antle, Myrtle beach Safari Owner, Arrested by FBI.” WMBF, 3 June. 2022, wmbfnews.com/2022/06/03/doc-antle-myrtle-beach-safari-owner-arrested-by-fbi/
“FAQ – The Preserve.” Myrtle Beach Safari, myrtlebeachsafarifacts.com/faq-the-preserve/
“Interested in Petting a Tiger Cub.” Big Cat Rescue, bigcatrescue.org/pet-a-tiger-cub-2/
Bender, Kelli. “Animals Rights Experts Reveal the ‘Tragedy’ Behind the Cub Petting Industry Shown in Tiger King.” People Magazine, 2 April. 2020, people.com/pets/tiger-king-cub-petting-industry/
“Amur Tiger Experience.” Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, cmzoo.org/events-programs/custom-animal-experiences/feed-an-animal/amur-tiger-encounter/
“Feline and Friends Experience.” North Georgia Wildlife & Safari Park, northgeorgiazoo.com/wild-cat-experience.html
“Photo Encounters.” Myrtle Beach Safari, docantlespreservationstation.com/
“Feed a Tiger.” Out of Africa Wildlife Park, outofafricapark.com/encounters/feed-a-tiger/
“Close Encounters.” Cougar Mountain Zoo, cougarmountainzoo.org/close-encounters/
“Currently Accredited Zoos and Aquariums.” Association of Zoos and Aquariums, aza.org/current-accreditation-list
