I feel so privileged! My friend and I go regularly to a WHF sanctuary which isn't exactly open to the public, although they do have the odd photographic day with just a few people being shown round by the keepers. As a result we have got to know everybody and are allowed to visit whenever we like ... and they even give us keys to go inside the distance barriers and into the big cats' houses
We do pet the animals through the large-mesh fences (although we're not encouraged to), which is wonderful enough, but when we went this week one of the keepers (Fraser) took us into the Lynx enclosure, as in, actually in with the lynx!! We were warned not to touch her as she would 'turn' immediately if we did, and to back off if she huffed at us. But she wound herself round my legs and seemed very interested in us! It was really difficult to NOT touch her! But I didn't. When she jumped for meat on the end of a pole she landed on me ... twice!! I thought the first time "this is going to hurt!" but she didn't try to get purchase on my legs, thankfully! She did huff a couple of times when my friend got a bit too close with the camera, but Fraser was on hand to gently nudge her away.
Petra (the lynx) was trained for film work so she's used to humans, but she is not tame.
Here's Petra's gallery on the WHF site:
http://www.whf.org.uk/catgallery.cfm?gid=64&id=37Hopefully I'll be able to post a few piccies taken by my friend soon, along with a couple he took of me petting one of the tigers!
