Kazek, the Tiger

Kazek, the mighty Tiger

Snow leopards aren't the only beautiful cats at the Hogle (Utah) Zoo!  Meet Kazek, a beautiful and ferocious male tiger, who is 9 years old.

Recently, during their annual "Cats and Cocoa" day, the keepers at the zoo did a training demo with Kazek, showing visitors how they help give this mighty tiger a regular physical check-up.

Hint:  They do it through subterfuge!  In other words, they are very sneaky about it.  And there are treats involved.  (Sounds like my early visits to the dentist!)

According to my friend Meldee, who was at the Zoo on that day, it was fun watching how the keepers carefully examined the Tiger, using some simple tricks.  The tigers have been trained to respond to certain commands to help the keepers in their work.  You'd think that the mighty tiger would be hard to train, but in her words, Kazek was a "very good boy!"

The keeper asks Kazek to do something - like put his paws on the fence.  Those paws are as large as the keeper's head!  Kazek knows the drill, so he's happy to comply.

When he does as he's asked, he gets a squirt of one of his favorite treats - reconstituted milk.

Getting a  yummy treat!
Right in the kisser!

Wow.  Just look at those teeth!  The better to eat you with, my dear!

Just to give you an idea of the size of this fellow, the trainer is about 5' 7 or 8".  My friend said the tiger could stretch even higher on the fence than she captured on her photos.

The simple training exercises serve a purpose.  They help the keepers examine the cats without having to put them inside the enclosure and/or drug them.  By getting the cat up and stretched up tall like this, keepers can examine the huge paws, and look at Kazek's massive furry underside.

Later, when he's lying against the fence, vets will give him all his shots while he's again being distracted with his treat.  The little poke he gets is no big deal to this mighty creature, and he's used to it from all his training through the years.

Pretty ingenious!

Kazek looks pretty soulful in this shot.
He looks ready to start singing: Nobody knows... the trouble I've seen!

What a magnificent tiger!

Kazek sired three sons in 2009.  (Hmmm.  My Three Sons.  Sounds like an idea for a sitcom.)

Here are two of his beautiful boys:

Kazak's  number one son snoozing

I'm pretty sure that's snow you're seeing in these two photos (above and below).

Kazak's number two son eyeing the visitors

What magnificent, beautiful animals.

They're GRRRRRRRRREAT!

Okay. Yes. I'm quoting Tony the Tiger, here.  He's Kelloggs' Frosted Flakes spokesperson, you know  He's also a TIGER, so it's totally appropriate.

Modern Tony the Tiger
He looked different when I was a kid.  More like Kazek.  Less like a  hamster.

(And yes.  I am a product of my environment.  Shoot me.)

But I digress...

I think the zoo keepers are very brave. Much as I love seeing these beautiful tigers, I wouldn't want to meet Kazek, or one - or both of his sons, alone, in the wilderness!

Ever.

Would you?