Are you brave enough to put your neck on the line for a picture with a tiger?
In the world of content creation, many travellers and creators are willing to take risks for the perfect shot.
Nigerian actress and DJ, Dorcas Shola Fapson, popularly known as Ms DSF, recently trended on TikTok after sharing her thrilling experience of taking photos with a tiger.
While visiting Thailand, she was drawn to Tiger World Thailand, hoping to capture the ultimate shot during this daring encounter.
“Exercising my free will & trusting God 😩 #Tiger #Thailand,” she remarked in a video showcasing her beautiful yet perilous pictures.
In the video, Fapson is seen sitting on a brick with an adult tiger resting its paws on her shoulders.
Two animal handlers stand beside her, using a bottle of milk to distract the tiger while a photographer captures the moment.
Her video garnered over 15.2 million views on TikTok.
@ms_dsf Exercising my free will & trusting God 😩 #Tiger #Thailand ♬ original sound – Cocoabrowntravels
Although the experience appears exhilarating, many netizens expressed hesitation about participating in such a life-threatening activity.
Here’s what some of them had to say:
@iamanurse5 commented, “Why will I risk it when I can ask AI?”
Another user, @norah.cakes, asked, “What if it suddenly refused to take the milk 😂😂😂😂?”
@thesiobhanzoe shared, “Every time the tiger looked down, I was scared. 😳”
While @itsreallymejason questioned, “Do you all really think the handlers can pull that tiger off you? It’s crazy all this is done for ‘hey look at me.’”
Despite the concerns, Fapson has no regrets about her experience, stating, “& I’ll do it again.”
@ms_dsf & I’ll do it again 🥺 #Tiger #Thailand #MsDsf ♬ Originalton – vspseta
Even with the TikTok disclaimer warning that “Participating in this activity could result in you or others getting hurt,” many travellers remain undeterred.
For countless visitors, Tiger World Thailand offers a unique opportunity for close encounters with tigers, including bottle-feeding and petting in a licensed zoo environment.
The attraction also provides educational experiences and a chance to explore cultural and historical sites in the Nakhon Pathom area.
While there is no official count of how many travellers visit the attraction annually, one booking platform, Klook Travel, reported that over 500 000 people had booked a visit through their site.
This figure only reflects one platform and does not account for all visitors.
It is important to note that while some guests have had positive experiences with the staff and tigers, several animal welfare organisations raise concerns about the implications of such close human-animal interactions.
Engaging in a tiger photo shoot at a facility like Tiger World is often deemed neither safe nor ethical.
These types of interactive animal experiences pose significant risks of injury to humans and can cause severe harm to the animals involved.
