When I was touring Harbin during my China trip, I also visted the Harbin Siberian Tiger Park. Being in a cold place like Harbin in the mid of winter, there wasn't too much to see or do - beside the world famous Harbin Snow and Ice Festival of course. So I was basically combing the travel map of Harbin for places to visit. Some weren't so great, but Siberian Tiger Park was a worthwhile trip.
After settling down at Harbin Tianzh Hotel, I took a taxi to the Siberian Tiger Park.
The tiger park is located in the northern limits of Harbin city, and the entrance fee to the Siberian Tiger Park is $50 yuan. After buying the ticket, you are advised to head inside the souvenir store where they will assign you to a tour group. Because it is a tiger park where tigers roam freely in the fields, tourists must take a bus ride.
Entrance of the Harbin Siberian Tiger Park
About every 15 minutes, a bus with a group 18 to 20 tourists are sent off. The bus drives around inside the tiger park, where many tigers run around freely.
Inside The Harbin Siberian Tiger Park
The tiger park is separated in to several different areas such as young tigers, breeding grounds, mature tigers, old tigers, and king tigers.
For a small fee, tourists can buy live animals to feed to the tigers. There are various live stock that you can buy to feed to the tigers including chickens, ducks, and even cows. Chickens are the cheapest which cost $40 yuan each, and if you really wanted, you can buy an entire live ox for $1500 yuan, which the park employees will set free among the tigers, and you get up front live action of the tigers downing the ox. Of course, no one on the bus actually purchased an ox; however several people did purchase chickens.
Siberian tigers inside the park. The park is fenced off into various large sections.
After the tourists paid the bus driver the fee, he radios the park's live stock handlers, and soon, a Toyota 4runner carrying the live stock will drive up to the section where your tour bus is, and release the purchased animal. You can then watch the tigers hunt down and eat the animal. Several visitors on our bus bought 3 live chickens. Once paid, the bus driver radios in the 4runner to bring the live chickens. Each time a 4runner drives by, the tigers chase after it, knowing there will likely be “food” tossed out from it.
As soon as the 4 runner shows up, the group of tigers follows close behind, knowing there will be food tossed out.
The driver throws the chicken on top of the truck roof. Several tigers immediately leaps on top, fighting for the chicken. See photo below:
Tigers fighting over the chicken on top of the 4 runner.
Within a few mintues, the tiger cleans out the chicken and there's only feathers remaining.
The driving tour of the Siberian Tiger Park lasted about 50 minutes. It will last longer or shorter depending on whether tourists on your tour bus buy live stock to feed the tigers or not. After the driving tour concluded, we came out to a smaller section where you can see tigers and other animals on foot. At the walking tour area, you will see other animals such as cougars, leopards, white Siberian tigers, and lions). The entire tour of the Harbin Siberian Tiger park took about 1.5 hours.
Photo of a white Siberian tiger at the walking tour section of the park.
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