Tiger Tiger

The Tiger by William Blake
"Tiger Tiger. burning bright,In the forests of the night;

What immortal hand or eye.Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies.Burnt the fire of thine eyes?

On what wings dare he aspire?What the hand, dare seize the fire? "

It was a Christmas vacation outing for the grandkids. Thus, we were heading an hour south and east of Greeley, Colorado to the Rocky Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary, where large exotic carnivores like tigers and lions were rescued from lives of misery and abuse and given a place to live in peace. As we turned off the graveled road and entered thru a gated cyclone fence, large signs proclaimed the rules. This was not a zoo. You should not slow down nor stop along the fences leading up hill to the buildings. The animals should not be disturbed or approached in any way. We knew right then that it was going to be different..... It was.

It wasn’t a natural setting for these neglected and unwanted animals but they were well cared for, allowed to roam the landscape with others of their kind and each ones history was described in the visitor center, which was part of the viewing platforms, high above the animals.
The Wild Animal Sanctuary is the oldest and largest nonprofit Sanctuary in the US dedicated exclusively to rescuing captive exotic and endangered large carnivores, providing them with a wonderful life for as long as they live, and educating about the tragic plight faced by an estimated 30,000 such animals in America today.
Established by Executive Director Pat Craig in 1980, Rocky Mountain Wildlife Conservation Center, DBA The Wild Animal Sanctuary, is a state and federally licensed zoological facility and a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

A shocking statistic about America’s Captive Wildlife Crisis…the illicit exotic animal trade is the third largest source of illegal profits in the world today, just after illegal drugs and weapons! In the U.S. alone, there are an estimated 30,000 captive large carnivores living outside the zoo system. There are 4,000 Tigers living as "pets" in private homes in just the state of Texas – more Tigers than exist in the wild throughout the world. Countless other Great Cats, Bears, Wolves and other large carnivores live in abusive conditions in roadside stands, circuses, magic acts, traveling shows, and other substandard situations. Untold numbers of animals suffer and die each year due to neglect, abuse or because they are abandoned and left to die, starving and alone.

In spite of the huge costs of maintaining this facility (thousands of dollars a day for food alone), more space is being added all the time. There were over 200 tigers plus other big cats, bears and wolves (some half dog).

As we finished our visit, the kids were taking a potty break, supervised by son Tony and Gramma. I headed out to the parking lot to warm up in the car. It was deserted, as we were the last to leave. Spotting some trash on the blacktop, I picked it up (Minnesotans do that sort of thing) and headed for a dumpster along the fence. As I approached it, I saw two tigers sleeping in the grass. Not wanting to disturb their sleep, I set the lid down very gently. At that instant both tigers raised their heads and turned to look at me. Now, cutting to the chase, I've crossed sandbars on remote rivers in Montana (flyfishing) and seen fresh grizzley tracks. I've heard wolves howling in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and almost collided with a bull moose coming down a portage in the same area. Still, when the tigers began to approach me, a primal moment occured. I looked at the cyclone fence between us (forgetting for the moment that the top was electrified) and thought "my god a deer could jump over this baby." I started backing up before my wits returned and I could breathe. I'm sure I will be able to conjur up that image the rest of my life..... and hope that their cousins can remain free in the wild. And that people will give up the silly idea that these magnificent carnivores make "good pets."