View From The Porch: What immortal hand or eye?

Sunday, July 20, 2014

What immortal hand or eye?

What a glorious animal...

I could spend all day watching tigers...

24 comments:

Anonymous said...: Just remember; To Miss Kitty , you are a medium sized, slow, easy to catch, snack. YOU might think she's a pretty girl , SHE thinks that the talking monkeys are food she hasn't caught YET. Big and dangerous is only pretty if you believe that you are in control, otherwise its just scary as hell. I try to never forget WHO is looking back at me from the cage. (look up HOWDA PISTOL) --Ray; 6:16 AM, July 20, 2014
Tango Juliet said...: Me too.; 6:21 AM, July 20, 2014
Anonymous said...: Could frame thy fearful symmetry .......; 7:45 AM, July 20, 2014
Bob said...: That's probably why Kellogg's picked a tiger to flog breakfast cereal, and Exxon its gasoline. And Hobbes, of course. :)

Wonder how many bad parodies of Blake there are that describe other cats?

Leopard, leopard in a tree,
Contemplating eating me...

Tam's reply: *one* more bad parody, anyway...; 8:27 AM, July 20, 2014
sammytaylor said...: We were down Sarasota way last week and spent an afternoon at http://bigcathabitat.org. Neat way to spend a couple hours. I made a friend in a Tiger who was quite curious as to my wheelchair. We spent a bit playing chase up and down his run.; 9:28 AM, July 20, 2014
Jim said...: Our two current fuzzballs will have to do for now, in the Tiger department.

All 8-1/2 lbs. of miniature, long haired black cuteness, and her 13 lb. fur-factory, long haired tabby brother.

He's about ferocious as Hello Kitty, and I don't mean Kalishnikitty, either.

But, let a housefly sneak through the door, and you can see that wee bit o' Tiger in 'em, all the same.

Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX; 9:49 AM, July 20, 2014
Jim said...: Our two current fuzzballs will have to do for now, in the Tiger department.

All 8-1/2 lbs. of miniature, long haired black cuteness, and her 13 lb. fur-factory, long haired tabby brother.

He's about ferocious as Hello Kitty, and I don't mean Kalishnikitty, either.

But, let a housefly sneak through the door, and you can see that wee bit o' Tiger in 'em, all the same.

Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX; 9:49 AM, July 20, 2014
SPEMack said...: I too would like to look at tigers all day, possibly over rifle sights in the vane of Peter Capstick; 10:02 AM, July 20, 2014
Ian Argent said...: Funniest thing I ever did see, at the Nawlins Zoo: A couple of kids watching the cheetahs being the glass. One of the cheetahs stretches nonchalantly, settles back down into the catloaf position, then starts the exact same butt-wiggle that housecats do just before rolling in hot on a cat toy...
Kids are oblivious, until the cheetah charges them, breaking off at the last second before hitting the glass, and stepping back to his buddy, entire body radiating feline amusement, while the kids scramble in terror. My wife and I are trying not to have a hearty laugh at the kids' expense, having seen this coming and done nothing; 10:54 AM, July 20, 2014
Unknown said...: My local PBS station recently showed the BBC documentary "Tiger - Spy in the Jungle." Elephants carrying cameras disguised as tree trunks were used to film a tigress and her four cubs in an Indian tiger refuge. No doubt that the footage was manipulated for the purposes of narrative, but it was still fun to watch the cubs grow up. More importantly, they weren't afraid to show the tigers kill and feed.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b009smrg; 11:27 AM, July 20, 2014
roland said...: A lifetime ago I used to hang out with a bunch of Cooper's acolytes. I went on a desert shooting excursion and campout organized by a guy who coached at Orange Gunsite. At day's end everyone parked around the campfire and took turns reciting poems, heavy emphasis on Kipling and Robert Service. When my turn came I gave them the only poem I've ever bothered to commit to memory. That one.; 12:19 PM, July 20, 2014
Drang said...: Snow leopards are pretty, um, pretty too.

But, yeah, I'm reminded of how, when tasked with bringing the most beautiful Earth female for an interstellar beauty contest, Jaime Retief chose a female Bengal Tiger.; 1:05 PM, July 20, 2014
LoFan John said...: Jim Corbett, who hunted down so many man-eaters, described the tiger as "a large-hearted gentleman", and even credited one(the Dabidhura Temple tiger)with having a sense of humor. Lightning can kill you, too, but it's beautiful and impressive to watch.; 3:04 PM, July 20, 2014
Matt G said...: Tigers-- particularly Siberian tigers, have always been my favorite big cat. They are ridiculously fast and strong, yet beautiful. Even in cages, they maintain enormous amounts of muscle.

Check out the great scene of a blind woman examining a sedated tiger in the movie Manhunter. (With an excellent and uncharacteristic musical piece by Shriekback (known primarily for their song "Nemesis") playing in the background, called "Coelocanth".); 3:35 PM, July 20, 2014
Rob K said...: The first photo makes me feel as though a movie is about to begin.; 3:46 PM, July 20, 2014
KM said...: I really had no idea about jaw power until I went to Out of Africa in AZ on a feeding day.
(Wed is the best!)

Watched a Siberian kitty eat a deer head.
Started licking the open neck then very casually chomped through the skull like a human bites through a Hershey bar.
Complete awe.; 4:01 PM, July 20, 2014
Don M said...: I figure Tam can have a lean and tigerish aspect every once in a while. We benefit from it, because she is socialized enough to reduce much of her natural aggressiveness to snark.; 6:33 PM, July 20, 2014
Fred said...: Me too. I think Manda had to physically pull me away last time we went to the zoo.; 9:53 PM, July 20, 2014
global village idiot said...: Sorry, but Kipling ruined real tigers for me....

I saw those photos and thought 'Shere Khan, you don't know who you're messing with.'

Imaginary tigers are a different critter altogether; whoever that one thinks he is, he's no match for Hobbes.

gvi; 11:11 PM, July 20, 2014
Dave said...: Ever been to Exotic Feline Rescue Center over in Center Point? It's the most tigers I've ever seen in one place and you're probably close enough for it to just be an afternoon trip.; 9:18 AM, July 21, 2014
akornzombie said...: "I could spend all day watching tigers..."

And tigers could spend all day watching you; 10:18 AM, July 21, 2014
Windy Wilson said...: "Tiger, tiger, burning bright,
what has caused you to ignite?"

If that wasn't more than enough I can dish out a longer one.; 11:08 AM, July 21, 2014
Hollowpoint1938 said...: The San Diego Zoo Safari Park near Escondido has just opened a fabulous tiger area. Come see the tigers in a beautiful habitat.; 3:32 PM, July 21, 2014
mikee said...: At the Austin Zoo, there is a tiger cage with a sign warning visitors that the tigers can urinate well beyond the distance from bars to walkway.

Watching newbies stand and patiently read the sign as an insolent beast casually walks to the front of the cage, turns his back to the kiddies, and lets loose with a high pressure blast is a frequent high point of visits to the zoo.

Visitors beware!; 6:30 AM, July 22, 2014