Not exactly a hike but the wildlife is worth viewing.
living in Spokane 20+ yrs and driving by numerous times, It took family from out of town to go there.
Cat Tales isn't very big, about 30 big cats but they make up for it with a very close experience of 10 feet away. They also have a intern student program so they enthusiastically tell the the history and story of each cat.
Cost 8 bucks
Don't tell Benson & Buckwheat there are kitties bigger than them
Barbary Lion
Barbary lion
Barbary lion
lion
tiger
lion
cougar
Bob Cat
Bob Cat
Cat Tails, Spokane 003
smile
Cat Tails, Spokane 007
Cat Tails, Spokane 008
Cat Tails, Spokane 010
young lion on top living with two young tigers in the same enclosure
Nice photos. It's good that they should have enthusiastic interns but how large are the enclosures? Big cats need space: I hate to think of tigers living all their lives in concrete cages the size of a bedroom... tdd
The big cat enclosers are maybe....1000-1500 sq. ft or more I'd guess. The unfairly small enclosures are/were those for the few bears they had. They had signs posted that said something like "Don't like the size of the enclosures? Donations can be made at ___________"
We were there a couple years ago and the Barbary Lion (retired MGM star) sprayed us. That made our cats REALLY interested in my shoes when we got home.
Big cats need space: I hate to think of tigers living all their lives in concrete cages the size of a bedroom... tdd
For sure all would agree, unfortunately the world is not a perfect place.
If I had just walked around for the 5 min it takes to see everything I would have left with a disappointed feeling about their small enclosures.
With the input from the students I was able to leave with a better feeling that these Big Cats serve a purpose as ambassadors for conservation and public awareness. For instance the Barbary lion has been extinct in the wild since the 1920's with only a handful in captivity. also some are from various rescue like the idiot that had three lions in a Seattle apartment.
Anyways seeing them this close did give me a greater appreciation for their incredible majesty. Kinda like grizzly bears, you can see them all day on tv but when you see one in Alaska close up it changes perceptions.
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