ONE OF THE GREAT thrills of my life was the rubbing of the belly of the three or four hundred pound tiger. The fact that the event might well have been precipitated by the consumption a brewed beverage or two, thus limiting goodness of judgment, alters nothing. What a memory.
This zoo had and still has a large land area, and the amimals can roam around in huge encolusures, with trees, rocks, and water, and regular contact with humans, to which they obviously become accustomed, and which they seem to enjoy.
The zoo had actually closed for the day, if memory serves. Twilight on a hot summer day, my wild friend and I were driving around, getting out of the car for close encouners with beautiful animals. You gotta love all aminals.
This tiger was lying with its back against the black iron bars, relasing in the heat. My buddy and i approached it, talking, happy, feeling confident, feeling really good. We got to within a few feet of the gorgeous cat, and somehow the vibes were good. I could sense relaxed acceptance from the magnificent creature.
I boldy stepped forward and touched its back, then gently stroked and rubbed it. The sweet thing turned on its back, belly up, paws limp above it, paws four times the size of my hand, an open invitation, the way i saw it, to affection. My friend and i rukbbed its belly, which was quite coarse, and thick, and soft, in its own way.
Baby began to purr, i swear. didn't know tigers could do that. Dwarf tigers, housecats, have the same personality; meat eating killers who don'g hesitate, wanting affection...from somebody. Even loners want to mate, and cat mating is not all affection.
Tigers and housecats, and presumably panthers and lions, love human affection, though under the right conditions any of the above would be willing to kill and eat human flesh. Sufficiently hungry, and somewhat larger, your pet housecat would eat you, and you know it.
The unconditional love people calim they get from pets is a bit of an illusion, because they love the people who feed and house and love them, and that aint entirely "unconditional". But its close enough. Certainly one must do more than feed and house a human to be loved, eh?
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