Jeanne Ryan Was Zookeeper For A Day With Lana The Tiger [VIDEO]

I was lucky enough to have the chance to spend some time with the beautiful and majestic tiger Lana who resides at Lake Superior Zoo. Head Zookeeper Emily was my guide and gave me a hands on 1-on-1 experience with helping to feed Lana. For those of us that own a pet we all know how much work goes into maintaining their health and diet and keeping them active, well imagine doing that on a daily basis with a 270 pound tiger?

I was able to go behind the scenes of the zoo and help feed Lana (as she was safely outside of course) As you can see in the video below they encouraged me to place her special meatballs all over the two containment areas so it gives her some mental stimulation to forage for her food. To be around these animals with a zookeeper makes a world of difference because the animals know and trust them so their behavior is obviously different then when they see complete strangers looking at them through glass or in their exhibits. Lana was "huffing" which is making a huffing sound as soon as she saw Emily which tigers do when they are happy and excited, so this was a really cool thing to see. I would highly recommend this to anyone it was awesome!

The best part of all of this is these private tours are open to the public, not just with the tigers but lions and other animals as well. What a great experience for kids or maybe a work event. For more information on how you can be a zookeeper for an hour or two Click Here.