Saigon zoogoers allowed to play tug of war with tiger on Tet holiday
Sunday, February 11, 2024, 22:13 GMT+7
The Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City offers visitors a chance to play tug of war with a white Bengal tiger on the first and fourth day of the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.
On Saturday afternoon, the first day of the Lunar New Year festival, hundreds of visitors gathered around the caged white tiger for the experience of taking on the large animal.
Joining this ‘human vs. beast’ competition for the first time, Tran Van Ti, a 41-year-old resident of Thu Duc City under the jurisdiction of Ho Chi Minh City, hailed the tiger as being sturdy and smart.
He shared that he felt a sense of happiness despite his team's loss in the game.
Minh Phuong, the leader of a team responsible for caring for the animals at the zoo, mentioned that the tiger tug-of-war activity was initiated approximately one year ago.
The white Bengal tiger participating in the tug of war is an endangered animal, born in 2015 at the zoo.
In addition to the tiger tug of war, the zoo is hosting various activities that enable visitors to experience fishing with crocodiles or feeding hippos and bears.
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| Zoogoers visit the white, endangered tiger, February 10, 2024. Photo: Phuong Nhi / Tuoi Tre |
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| A 1kg piece of meat is attached to a rope as bait to attract the tiger, February 10, 2024. Photo: Phuong Nhi / Tuoi Tre |
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| Tran Van Ti, a 41-year-old resident of Thu Duc City under the jurisdiction of Ho Chi Minh City, hails the tiger as being sturdy and smart. Photo: Phuong Nhi / Tuoi Tre |
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| A team of 5-7 visitors take on the tiger in a tug of war, February 10, 2024. Photo: Phuong Nhi / Tuoi Tre |
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| After wandering around for a while, the tiger begins prying the slab of meat, marking the start of the tug of war between the big cat and zoogoers, February 10, 2024. Photo: Phuong Nhi / Tuoi Tre |
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| A 1kg piece of meat is attached to a rope as bait to attract the tiger, February 10, 2024. Photo: Phuong Nhi / Tuoi Tre |
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| The white tiger wanders around the playground before playing the tug of war, February 10, 2024. Photo: Phuong Nhi / Tuoi Tre |
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| The tiger normally eats at 2:00 pm. Five minutes prior to its mealtime, the tug-of-war organizer will keep the tiger in a locked cage. Then, caretakers leave meat and a rope at a playground before releasing the big cat there to take part in the tug of war. Photo: Phuong Nhi / Tuoi Tre |
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| Lots of zoogoers gather around the cage housing the white tiger to watch the tug of war, February 10, 2024. Photo: Phuong Nhi / Tuoi Tre |
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| The white male tiger consumes 5kg of meat per day. The tug-of-war organizer argues that the activity will help the tiger practice hunting for food in captivity as well as stay fit and healthy. Photo: Phuong Nhi / Tuoi Tre |
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| The organizer often alternates between the tug of war and other activities to help the tiger stay more active. Photo: Phuong Nhi / Tuoi Tre |
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