Zoobic Safari’s newest ride gives guests the chance to get close to tigers.
Text and photos by Carlo S. Suerte Felipe
People find ways to get close to wildlife. For us living in the metro, our option is to visit the nearest zoo. Many of us will head to Zoobic Safari in Zambales. Fans of Zoobic Safari who have tried its Tiger Safari adventure say that it’s the extreme way to experience feeding adult tigers up close and personal―without losing a limb.
So how about dropping inside a tiger enclosure? This is the newest offering of Zoomanity Group to its visitors. Instead of riding one of their caged jeepneys, a group can take a zipline over the tiger enclosure and suddenly drop down in the middle of it. The “Kamikazoo” zipline is the country’s first zipline that features a view overlooking the Zoobic Safari’s tiger enclosure.
want a close encounter with tigers can ride this ‘capsule’ down a zipline that drops very close to the ground—and the tigers—for a short time.
The 130-meter ride is safe for both children and adults and it’s not as fast as the typical zipline. At the Kamikazoo, visitors will ride a cage-like “capsule” with back-to-back benches in the middle. It will transfer six to eight people across the tiger enclosure. But as it reaches the middle part of the ride, the capsule will slowly drop down to as low as a mere foot above the ground. And to attract the tigers, the cage is festooned with chicken parts as bait.
The ride is considered a test of courage for many since you put your trust in the ride’s line and the capsule you’ll be in. But no worries; Zoobic Safari assures the safety of the ride, as well as that of the visitors… and the tigers.
This first appeared in Animal Scene’s May 2015 issue.
