Good afternoon Steemit Community. I wanted to share with you a photo from a recent visit to zoobic safari here in the Philippines. This is the only place in the Philippines where you can get up-close and personal with a magnificent creature - A Tiger!

Granted that the tiger is only an infant, it is still a wild animal and highly unpredictable. It is definitely something worth experiencing. You will notice that even as a young tiger, it is still bigger then me and having it sit on my lap while feeding it, one quickly realizes how helpless you are if it decides it doesn't like you. With all of it's weight on my legs, I was unable to move.

Zoobic Safari is located in Subic (about 3 hours drive from Metro Manila) and offers a unique experience. It also serves to promote awareness of the many species of animals at the zoo. The most popular attraction as you can guess is the tigers. If being next to one is not scary enough, another attraction that the zoo offers is a drive through safari, where you get the opportunity to drive through their Tiger sanctuary in a cage like vehicle where you can experience watching them eat a whole chicken right in front of your face.

You can watch as they gobble down parts of the chicken. Hearing the crunching and snapping of bones as they devour the chicken. The power of their jaw and sharpness of their teeth are truly amazing.

[Picture Source]

Drive through the sanctuary as several tigers anxiously await another meal.

And now a little history:

The tiger is the largest cat species, most recognizable for their pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with a lighter underside. They are Apex predators - meaning they are generally at the top of the food chain, hunting primarily hunting large mammals. Their are currently six subspecies of tigers remaining and they have been classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The global population in the wild is estimated to number between 3,062 and 3,948 individuals, down from around 100,000 at the start of the 20th century [Source]

The six remaining subspecies of Tigers are: The Bengal Tiger, The Indochinese Tiger, The Malayan Tiger, The Siberian Tiger, The South China Tiger, and the Sumatran Tiger. Three other subspecies are now extinct - The Bali Tiger, The Caspian Tiger, and The Javan Tiger.

Another Unique animal that you won't Typically find in the wild which lives at Subic Safari is the Liger which is a mix breed between a tiger and a lion.

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I hope you enjoyed reading. Please let me know what you think in the comments below