The woman in question was on a visit to a Thailand zoo named Tiger Kingdom zoo in Chiang Mai where visitors are also able to take photos with the wild cats.
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In the video taken just before the incident the woman can be seen snuggling up to a rather calm tiger (which is a worry in itself). But the video doesn't show the worrying part.
An act of daring or foolishness?
The woman identified as Waraschaya Akkarachaiyapas also took some sneaky selfies cupping thetiger's testicles. She shared the images online and was faced by a slew of criticism by animal lovers who claimed that she could have been 'humiliating thetiger' and putting herself at risk of an animal attack.
One person claimed that Akkarachaiyapas did not have consent from the big cat:
This is so rude. The tiger did not allow you to touch his privates. You have no right to do that.
Another commented:
This is dangerous. If the tiger had reacted angrily it could have attacked you.
A poor defense
Akkarachaiyapas decided to defend herself against her haters claiming that she was an animal lover herself. But, given she was essentially groping the beast those might not have been the best words.
Tiger Kingdom's head zookeeper, Pirom Cahntama, commented on the situation:
We do not allow tourists to grab the tigers' testicles but they are allowed to touch any part of the animal's body as long as our specialists are present. From now on, we will make sure that no visitor will ever be able to touch this part of a tiger's body again.
