While in Harbin, we visited a place where you could see tigers up close and personal. This was no zoo. It was an adventure that could best be likened to the movie Jurrasic Park. It was so amazing, we went back the next day and took our friends - who also enjoyed in immensely. This is not for the faint of heart, and something that would leave PETA people having nightmares for days. But it's about as close as you can get to experiencing tigers in the wild without going into the wild - something I'm not sure I want to do after this experience.
Here's how it works. You load into this little bus and they drive up to a fenced in area. Then a remote control gate opens and you drive through. Once that gate is closed you go through another remote control gate. There are tigers wandering around loose in this area. You are literally driving through where they're wandering around. Sometimes they cross the buses path, sometimes they walk right up to the bus while you're stopped watching them. There are various gated off sections you go through seeing juveniles, mature tigers, the nursery, etc.
On our first visit people kept sliding the bus windows open to get a better look and to take photos. It was cold out and the windows were fogging up. They kept yelling at us to close the
windows. There was nothing between us and the tigers. The next day we got a bus with a much better design. There were cage type bars on the part of the windows that opened, with a slot down the middle to take pictures through. So you could open the window and the tiger couldn't jump or claw through. Now here's where it gets cool. - As if it wasn't cool enough already. -
This SUV with caging over the tires, windows and roof comes driving up right beside the bus. All
the tigers know this is a source of food and come running. We're not sure if this guy is brave, crazy, or just trying to stay gainfully employed. But his job is to open his driver's door (apparently they don't spring for a second person in the vehicle to cover this duty) and toss a chicken up on the roof of the vehicle, and get his arm back in the vehicle and the door closed before the tigers get to him and one jumps onto the roof to grab it. It's SPECTACULAR to watch! Then we found out from the bilingual Chinese teenagers on the bus, you can buy a chicken, goat or cow and they'll bring it out and feed it to them. So while you're in the bus, you can tell the driver you'd like to buy a chicken. He collects the money and calls the guy in the truck. He speeds out to your bus and the show begins.
After you think the adventure is over, they let you off the bus and you enter this slightly elevated bridge/tunnel. (After being led past a shoppertunity with a stand full of stuffed tigers and puppets, of course. Much like the exit to every ride in Disneyland that leads you through a gift shop on your way out.) This long, winding bridge walks you over a huge area full of more tigers. The top is covered, but the sides are just a metal "cage". If you stick your hand (or camera) through the holes in the 3" grid, there's nothing to stop the tigers from jumping up and grabbing you. In this tunnel, there is another feeding opportunity (other than foolish tourist arms and fingers). You can buy a strip of meat or a
chicken. If you buy a strip of meat, they give you some tongs and let you carry the meat to the grid and feed them. There are 2 techniques. You can either drop the meat through the 
hole, or you can hold the meat with the tong and let the tiger jump up and grab it from you. Same with the chicken. You can either wing it over the top of of the caged wall you're standing behind, or they'll tie it to a long stick and you can hold it out there for them. That's what our friend opten to do. He held it out next to a tree. The tiger climbed the tree and grabbed the chicken off of the 
stick. It was pretty incredible.
Rob found a pair of tongs laying on the ground, and we found if you just tick the tongs together, they know the sound and come running. At one point when only a couple friends were around I started clucking like a chicken. (The things you learn when you have chickens at home and you're bored on the farm. Who knew this skill would
come in handy one day?) The tigers gave a casual glance, but didn't exactly come running. A whole herd of Chinese tourists did, though. They were just sure someone had bought a chicken and they came running to watch the show. Our driver also found it pretty amusing.
Here's how it works. You load into this little bus and they drive up to a fenced in area. Then a remote control gate opens and you drive through. Once that gate is closed you go through another remote control gate. There are tigers wandering around loose in this area. You are literally driving through where they're wandering around. Sometimes they cross the buses path, sometimes they walk right up to the bus while you're stopped watching them. There are various gated off sections you go through seeing juveniles, mature tigers, the nursery, etc.
On our first visit people kept sliding the bus windows open to get a better look and to take photos. It was cold out and the windows were fogging up. They kept yelling at us to close the
windows. There was nothing between us and the tigers. The next day we got a bus with a much better design. There were cage type bars on the part of the windows that opened, with a slot down the middle to take pictures through. So you could open the window and the tiger couldn't jump or claw through. Now here's where it gets cool. - As if it wasn't cool enough already. -This SUV with caging over the tires, windows and roof comes driving up right beside the bus. All
the tigers know this is a source of food and come running. We're not sure if this guy is brave, crazy, or just trying to stay gainfully employed. But his job is to open his driver's door (apparently they don't spring for a second person in the vehicle to cover this duty) and toss a chicken up on the roof of the vehicle, and get his arm back in the vehicle and the door closed before the tigers get to him and one jumps onto the roof to grab it. It's SPECTACULAR to watch! Then we found out from the bilingual Chinese teenagers on the bus, you can buy a chicken, goat or cow and they'll bring it out and feed it to them. So while you're in the bus, you can tell the driver you'd like to buy a chicken. He collects the money and calls the guy in the truck. He speeds out to your bus and the show begins.
After you think the adventure is over, they let you off the bus and you enter this slightly elevated bridge/tunnel. (After being led past a shoppertunity with a stand full of stuffed tigers and puppets, of course. Much like the exit to every ride in Disneyland that leads you through a gift shop on your way out.) This long, winding bridge walks you over a huge area full of more tigers. The top is covered, but the sides are just a metal "cage". If you stick your hand (or camera) through the holes in the 3" grid, there's nothing to stop the tigers from jumping up and grabbing you. In this tunnel, there is another feeding opportunity (other than foolish tourist arms and fingers). You can buy a strip of meat or a
chicken. If you buy a strip of meat, they give you some tongs and let you carry the meat to the grid and feed them. There are 2 techniques. You can either drop the meat through the 
hole, or you can hold the meat with the tong and let the tiger jump up and grab it from you. Same with the chicken. You can either wing it over the top of of the caged wall you're standing behind, or they'll tie it to a long stick and you can hold it out there for them. That's what our friend opten to do. He held it out next to a tree. The tiger climbed the tree and grabbed the chicken off of the 
stick. It was pretty incredible.Rob found a pair of tongs laying on the ground, and we found if you just tick the tongs together, they know the sound and come running. At one point when only a couple friends were around I started clucking like a chicken. (The things you learn when you have chickens at home and you're bored on the farm. Who knew this skill would
come in handy one day?) The tigers gave a casual glance, but didn't exactly come running. A whole herd of Chinese tourists did, though. They were just sure someone had bought a chicken and they came running to watch the show. Our driver also found it pretty amusing.
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