What if you'd also like to actually pet a playful tiger cub, mingle with monkeys, swim with elephants, feel the prickly quills on a porcupine? Well that sounds like a one day Safari, and that narrows your choices down to just one place...
So you want to get up close and personal with some exotic animals? You have a few options:
Option A - Take a trip to the local zoo. If you are lucky you can catch the animals awake in their cages. Bring your camera, sunscreen, bugspray, and binoculars. Not good enough for you? Maybe you'd like to see a tiger actually doing something like running at full speed?
Option B - Take an African safari. Plan on at least 2 weeks, budget about $6000 per person, and don't forget to pack your malaria tablets. Of course there are no guarantees you will see a tiger at all.
What if you'd also like to actually pet a playful tiger cub, mingle with monkeys, swim with elephants, feel the prickly quills on a porcupine? Well that sounds like a one day Safari, and that narrows your choices down to just one place - The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (TIGERS) in Myrtle Beach, SC.
Why Myrtle Beach? " Why NOT Myrtle beach?" Dr. Mahamayavi Bhagavan Antle (aka "Doc") founder of TIGERS explained. Myrtle Beach is now the 4th most popular vacation destination in America.
For 18 yeas, TIGERS has been hidden away in a little known 50 acre preserve just a few minutes south of Myrtle Beach. Many locals are still not aware of its presence. Three years ago, the preservation center began opening its gates for small tours of no more than 50 people to get up close and personal with the animals like never before imagined.
With over 50 big cats, all raised in captivity from birth, TIGERS is a very safe environment to get up close to these powerful creatures. In fact, TIGERS is one of the first places the movie and TV industry turns to when the need an animal for a production. All told, over 500 productions have included animals from TIGERS, including such notables as Dr Doolittle, Ace Ventura, Pet Detective, the MTV Music Awards, and Animal Planet's "King of the Jungle" You might have also seen Doc with a few of his friends on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Your day at TIGERS is first class from the very beginning. You wont need binoculars. The animals will literally sit in your lap. You don't even need a camera or a camcorder, TIGERS staff will take pictures and video of your entire experience. They even provide snacks, and bugspray (although you aren't likely to need bugspray). The TIGERS experience is truly designed to handle your every need, and leave you free to simply enjoy your time with the animals.
Ever heard of a Liger? No its not "bred for its skills in magic" as Napolean Dynamite would suggest, but it is a cross between a lion and tiger. The recipient of the growth gene from both its mother and father, Ligers are the largest cats on earth. Tour guests get an opportunity to meet "Hercules" the largest of them all, weighing over 900 lbs, and stretching as high as 11 feet tall.
Check a video of the experience at http://www.myrtlebeachsafari.com/
Contact TIGERS early if you would like to take the tour, as the summer months sell out very quickly.
