The service of "calling a chicken" for a fierce Siberian tiger costs 400 yuan per session

By Li Xinyi, reporting

Yabuli was once a hunting ground for royalty during the Qing Dynasty. Today, to protect wildlife, hunting has been banned in the area. Unfortunately, the Siberian tiger remains one of the endangered species. To address this, Harbin has established two Siberian Tiger Parks, which are the largest breeding bases for Siberian tigers in the world. Both parks are also open to visitors. Among them, the Hengdaohezi Siberian Tiger Park, closest to Yabuli, allows tourists to drive into unfenced open areas and walk through steel tunnels where they are separated from hundreds of Siberian tigers only by iron cages — an exhilarating close encounter with these majestic animals.

The Hengdaohezi Siberian Tiger Park initially had only eight Siberian tigers, but now houses hundreds. Hundreds of them are on display for visitors. Many of the Siberian tigers in zoos across China come from here. Close encounters with the tigers include taking a sightseeing bus into the open tiger park. For safety reasons, windows must remain closed during the ride, but the tigers seem to instinctively approach the vehicles, waiting for food. Tourists can “call a chicken” — a service where staff feed live chickens to the tigers — for 80 yuan (about 400 New Taiwan dollars) per session. Another jeep then throws the ordered chicken outside the vehicle. Fortunately, there’s no bloody scramble for food; usually, the tiger that grabs the “snack” first gets to enjoy it alone, while another may sit nearby, “envying” the feast. Most tigers simply lie down, continuing to wait patiently for their turn — a surprisingly calm scene. However, it's advised not to linger too long in the tour bus, as guides warn that tigers might try to bite the tires.

The park also features a walkway made of wire mesh, allowing visitors to view the tigers up close. Along the long corridor are adult tigers, cubs, white tigers, and liger offspring — a hybrid of male lions and female tigers bred artificially, though the offspring are infertile. Visitors can also buy 10-yuan meat skewers and feed them through holes in the cages. The tigers will adeptly climb the bars with their front paws to grab the food. As you walk along, you’ll often hear the tigers roar, a thrilling experience. Of course, there are also services to “call” chickens, cows, or sheep to feed the tigers — each at different prices. Transportation to the tiger park isn’t very convenient for out-of-town visitors, but many choose to join resort-organized tours. For example, Club Med, a local resort operator, offers a four-hour tour package for 390 yuan per person, including round-trip transportation and park admission.