All the Cool Cats Love Andy!

Since this is such a dismal and dreary day here in Chicagoland I thought I'd post a few pics from one of the better days I had this past summer.


That's me petting a mammoth tiger at the Valley of the Kings Animal Sanctuary in Wisconsin. More specifically, in the word of the handler in the photo (also named Andy) the tiger is enjoying "scratches".

I was fortunate enough to visit this unique place earlier this year thanks to Mike Preston. He was taping an episode of his cable show, Psycho Babble and wanted me there to share circus stories, eat some fire, and enjoy a very cool day in the sun among the animals.

Valley of the Kings is a non-profit animal sanctuary that rescues abandoned or abused circus animals, pets, zoo animals and the like. It is almost completely funded by private & public donations and they house hundreds of tigers, lions, bears, wolves, and the like.

It is not open to the public. You must be a member/supporter of the facility in order to get to take the tours & visit the animals. Memberships are very inexpensive (as low as $50.00 for 6 months I think).

If you take the tours (usually on Saturdays) bring lots of raw chicken and other meats. Your donations do in fact help feed these magnificent creatures. Come to think of it, if you're taking one of the tours and happen to have the chicken legs with you, YOU can feed the animals yourself, which is the thrill of a lifetime! OK, if you are a professional animal trainer or a vet then MAYBE feeding a tiger by hand is no big deal. For me...BIG DEAL!

This is a place unlike any other in the world. I am hoping to find a Saturday with my wife where we can both go someday soon. She and I love zoos, sanctuaries, and just about any place where we can encounter exotic animals and I know she'd have a great time.

One funny thing about the day in the Valley, as I was taping my fire-eating segment for the program, one of the tiger handlers watched me stick the fire into my mouth and said, "Well now, that's just crazy!" This was coming from a guy who regularly stepped into a cage with wild tigers!