This Is Not Something You See Every Day. Tiger On The Trail
For insurance purposes, I always have a few fingers on the brake levers as well as an eye on the trail in case of an injured horse or hiker. Mountain bikers should use every singletrack multi-use as if there were bird-watchers at every corner. But who would expect a Bengal tiger to be on the trail?
John Ker Photo
John Ker, Mountain Bike Actions’ head photographer, was out in the mountains above Los Angeles when a couple animal trainers stopped their car at the trailhead and let the back open. A tiger then jumped out. The tiger was clipped to a leash and seemed to be well-behaved. But who knows?
Mr. Ker was advised by his trainers that it would be best for him and the mountain bikers to stay in their cars while they were near each other.
Who was going to disagree with that? Mister Ker took a few pictures from his SUV and drove the riders to another trailhead.
John Ker photo
Many exotic and non-exotic animal trainers work in the area’s arid valleys. They specialize in film work. Although reports of bears and elephants are common, this is the first time we have seen a tiger.
It is hard not to imagine the look on the face of the rider as he descends that singletrack that dayNicekitty.
