We headed down to Chessington Zoo for a VIP Tiger Feed experience where we get up close and personal with the four Amur Tigers at Chessington World of Adventures.
See the Amur Tigers in all their glory as you venture behind the scenes in an animal encounter like no other.
Get up close and personal to the Tiger’s in their brand new home as you learn all you need to know about the world’s biggest Tiger species.
Priced at £60 per person you can feed the tigers at Chessington.
With Tigers being one of my favourite animals and being a keen conservation supporter for many years this experience had been on my bucket list for quite some time.
The only issue with many zoos/safari parks that offer this type of experience is you can’t take your own photos and videos.
It seems a bit redundant to have just one photo or zero footage of something so special but Chessington allow you to take as much as you like!
Once we were booked we headed to the VIP Experiences hut (opposite the Rattlesnake ride in the park) and waited for our 1:30 pm slot.
Please be advised if you have booked a VIP Experience you still need to purchase admission tickets for the theme park.
The Chessington VIP Lounge
A small little indoor space has been marked out for VIP Experience guests with a few couches to sit on before you start your experience.
With it being a scorching day at Chessington World of Adventures on the day of our arrival it was nice to just get out of the sun for a bit and chill before our experience began.
At 1:30 pm we were greeted by two members of staff who came to meet us and escorted us to the Land of the Tiger area of the park and we waited for the tiger keeper to greet us at the gates.
The Tiger Feed Experience
As soon as the wooden gates of the back-end of the enclosure opened up we were already behind the scenes.
Just walking down behind the main public area felt very exclusive and unique and we hadn’t even stepped foot inside the tiger building yet.
We were told that because of the weather the tigers were all inside, we were also told their enclosure was undergoing a clean which meant we could see and meet all four Amur tigers at the zoo.
After Adam, our keeper gave us some extensive information about the giant enclosure, the tiger’s diets, exercise routines and more we went to meet them.
Three females and one giant male stood before us all knowing exactly what time it was.
Dinner time!
We were shown how the tigers are trained including various methods using a pole and even visual and verbal commands.
These commands would have the tiger opening its mouth, lying down or jumping up on the fence so the keepers can see the underbelly of the tiger to make sure everything is looking healthy.
We were given tongs with horse meat on the end of them and we fed three tigers.
The male tiger was far too tired to eat so he just lay there as we fed the other three.
Review
It says the experience lasts for 30 minutes (approximately) but ours went on far longer than that.
With an extensive and informative talk about the tigers and the work that goes into keeping the tigers healthy, it was as informative as it was enjoyable.
I couldn’t quite believe just how up close and personal you got to the tigers with only a mesh fence separating us.
The Tigers took the food off the tongs ever so gently and they were all so well behaved.
It truly was an experience I’ll never forget and with the insane number of VIP animal experiences they have at the park it certainly won’t be my last!
I highly recommend absolutely anyone to try this experience, it was surreal and we left the enclosure feeling as though we had underpaid!
Find out more about Chessington VIP Animal Experiences HERE
Tiger Feed Info
*This experience starts at 1:30pm and lasts for approximately 30 minutes
*Discounts cannot be used in conjunction with any other discounts
*Maximum of 4 people per experience
*You must be a minimum of 10 years old to participate in this experience
*Children aged between 10 and 16 must be accompanied by a full paying adult
*Theme Park entry is not included in this experience
*Tickets are non-transferable and non-refundable
*Pregnant women are not permitted on any of our VIP Experiences
*Due to the nature of our VIP Experiences, some of our encounters many not be suitable for those with mobility problems. If you believe this may affect you, please contact a member of our VIP Team before booking to discuss your individual needs.
