On August 15, athletes and coaches of the Asian Youth Figure Skating Training Camp visited the Harbin Siberian Tiger Park. During the excursion, Indonesian figure skater Rafif Putra had the rare opportunity to feed a tiger a piece of chicken using tongs.
The tour was conducted on special buses equipped with protective grills. Covering 1.2 million square meters, the park is the only place in the world that houses around 600 rare Siberian (Amur/Manchurian) tigers, a species listed as endangered. Participants observed the animals in their natural environment and captured the moments on camera.
“It was incredible,” said Rafif, his hands trembling as he passed a strip of chicken to the enormous tiger with kitchen tongs. Despite the barrier, it was a unique chance to look straight into the jaws of the world’s largest predator.
