Bengal Tigers are "Gentle Giants" - WMBB News 13 - The Panhandle's News Leader

The cat is out of the bag! Zoo World is welcoming a new tiger cub to the family. Before long, the 10-day-old cub will be ready for close encounters at the park. 

Stephanie Willard from Zoo World may have one of the best jobs in the world.

"Well right now he's about ten days old so he's got a little bit of growing to do," said Willard who is hand raising a baby tiger.  A cub that just weeks from now will be able to get up close and personal with lucky guests at Zoo World.

"It gives us a chance, while we have them there at the zoo, to actually bring them closer to the public," said Willard. "So the public can actually do the same thing we do. Every body can learn from them."

Last year two tiger cubs visited our studios for a chance to be in the limelight. Those cubs now call the Marcan Tiger Preserve "home".

"These guys are Tibit, Tahan, Apata, and Mohan," said owner Josip Marcan.

The cubs are given a chance to play and interact with volunteers at the preserve and eventually will be trained.

"I love animals in general since I was a child but tigers are my favorite," said Marcan who has trained over two hundred and fifty tigers in his career and traveled to more than fifty countries.

"It's never ending learning, I'm still learning its very interesting to see every time you learn something new," said Marcan.

All four cats play together and Marcan says the new cub may get a play mate of his own very soon.

"Its always better to have someone to play with," said Marcan.  

The tiger trainer says the animals are smart and each has a unique personality.

"They're just like people each one has a different personality," said Marcan. "Those four are very gentle. They like people they are not aggressive at all."

They are very intelligent," agrees Willard. "And they deserve every bit of respect that they can possibly get.

Zoo World says they will be taking reservations for the cub encounters in the next few weeks and spots will be filling up fast. The park also offers a chance to interact with kangaroos and lemurs, but in the interest of safety they do not allow the encounters with the bigger cats.