Cool zoo lets you cuddle with the lions and tigers and bears (oh my). Would you feel safe?

There's a way cool zoo down in Argentina that lets visitors interact with and pet all the wild animals in the zoo, including tigers and bears. They say the animals were all raised as pets by their former owners and came to the zoo when they got too big for normal households. The zoo claims that there have never been any predations on the zoo visitors by any of their animals. Some claim they drug the animals but, the zoo just says they are well-fed and docile.

Go cheek to whisker at Argentina’s Lujan Zoo
The wisdom—and track record—of the zoo is hotly debated

With the weather getting warmer, it’s time to get back outside and reconnect with the wildlife—and no place will let you get closer to the wildest of wild things than Lujan Zoo in Argentina. Located just outside Buenos Aires, Lujan Zoo provides zoogoers the opportunity to bottle feed a bear, cuddle a tiger, or rub noses with a lion, and, if these pictures are accurate, walk away un-mauled. While many visitors assert the animals are clearly drugged, the zoo insists the tameness is entirely natural, a product of raising each cub from birth and teaching them to be calm, permissive, and uninterested in eating humans. Since opening in 1994, there have been no reports of unexpected predation, but whether that perfect record is due to good training, luck, or bribery of authorities is hotly debated. Check out this extreme petting zoo below, and remember, the Lujan Zoo is one of the only places in the world where you can pet wild animals, an extremely dangerous activity that you should not take lightly and should never try outside the confines of such facilities.

Grind TV

It sounds too good to be true; wild animals that you are actually allowed to pet and interact with and there's never been even one person harmed.

I don't know if I'd trust them entirely. Just based on my own house-kitty's behavior, I've seen her perfectly content having her belly rubbed one second and then latching onto my hand and biting hard in play mode the next. Who's to say the larger kitties couldn't put a serious hurtin' on someone if they decided to get playful while you were in visiting the pen. Cats don't just attack because they're hungry, its part of their instincts and even when playing, they could easily kill an adult.

Still, it would be an awesome, once in a lifetime experience. I don't know I'd have the willpower to resist if I went down there.

Would you feel safe doing something like this or letting your kids play with the lions?



The one in the middle is thinking "yummy, they left dinner".

Hell ya.

I would visit such a place gladly. But I would NEVER allow my son to go, he's six.

I'm an adult, I'm aware these animals are dangerous, so I can calculate the risk somewhat. My son? Not the same. In addition, I know young children sound like prey, look like prey, and dart around like prey. So no go for young kids.

We have held a baby tiger before, my son and I, and it was magical.

reply to post by FortAnthem
Once (years ago) me and the kids had our picture taken with a white tiger at the fair. After taking the pic we went into a cage where we sat down and were covered with frolicking lion, tiger and leopard cubs. While cute, cuddly and very affectionate each of these small cubs weighed as much as a fully grown dog and were already very muscular. I don't think I'd take a chance on frolicking with the grown ones- just in case!

This one was only 6 months old, and was busy drinking milk from a bottle:



I wouldn't risk a grown one running around unrestrained- I don't want to be kitty kibble!

I'd like the baby ones to cuddle as long as mammy's in a cage

Ive done something like this in the UK. People know I am completely crazy about animals so I often get "experience days" bought for me as gifts.

So far I've stroked baby Tigers, Red Pandas and Lemurs,
The Lemurs seemed to enjoy biting me but the Tigers were fine

Looks cool.
I would definitely go check it out if I had the opportunity.

Though cats do kill for sport. It's going to happen at some point.
But hey, as long as people understand that I have no problem with it.

I've had cats before, and I've seen what a 10 lb cat can do if they get in a mood.

If it's guaranteed that, yes, their lions are drugged and happy, I'll cuddle one

Otherwise, I'll stick to cuddling the baby cubs.

If you're not the wild animal's owner/pet/mom, who they've completely bonded with, the wild can still come out.
It comes out with 10 lb domesticated cats.

reply to post by ballymoney50


I'm with you there.

I'd love to spend time with the baby animals but wouldn't feel comfortable with the grown-ups. They'd have to have a team of ten trainers in there with me armed with super-powered tazers before I think I would get in a cage with a full grown big cat.

All fun and games until somebody gets mauled. I understand the allure of this kind of thing, but it's like playing badminton with a hand grenade. Sure, no predations or "accidents"...yet. There's no shortage of Youtube clips of people visiting places like this and the consequences are tragic. Looks like these maybe younger animals, but still, isn't it enough to enjoy & admire these creaturse from a distance?

reply to post by davespanners


My sis has an old black and white picture of my mum walking a Panther with a diamond collar down some street in London, slick or what

I would gladly love to do this. But as stated previous..No way would i take my son with me. You get the feeling its only a matter of time before the inevitable happens

reply to post by FortAnthem


Although this is an awesome idea...and so far it seems to be working...I think that perhaps regardless of how these animals were raised...it is in their genetic makeup (at times) to attack and they are bodily strong; so even during playtime they may one day go too far; and someone may get hurt. Actually I hope I am wrong about this because I love animals and to be able to cuddle and pet some of those creatures would be a joy indeed.

o-wimbaway o-wimbaway ooooooeeeeeeeeeeeeoooooooooooeeeeeoooooooowwwwwwwww a lion just bit off my faceeee..........

Big tiger kitty looks so happy in that pic!

Though as cute as that is i wouldnt want to be.... well any of those guys in the tiger pen!

Hugging a polar bear is on my bucket list

I'm in Buenos Aires, I should visit this zoo sometime. I hope I, too, walk away unharmed from these animals if I ever go there.

If I had kids I wouldn't let them do it, though. I would take the risk but there's no way in hell I'd let my little ones do it.

It's all fun and games until someone gets eaten.

Then they'll shoot the animal for doing whats natural.

Great idea.

CX.

That looks awesome to do. If I ever get a vacation in my lifetime, that will be the first place I visit. Hmm. Wonder how my dog will react when I get home? Not sure if I should be scared of the Lion or Tiger, but I know I'll probably get an arse whooping by my dog "Tiger".