Kelly's Epic Loot -- Tigers!

Full disclosure here: when I was a kid, I was OBSESSED with animals. Seriously, I wanted to be an animal biologist right up until freshman year of high school. Unfortunately, biology turned out not to be my strong suit. But my love for animals hasn't diminished in the slightest.

About two weeks ago, my boyfriend Daniel turned 24 and for his birthday, I took him to the Carolina Tiger Rescue along with my friends Jesse and Shane. The CTR is a non-profit that rescues big cats and other carnivores who have been neglected, abandoned, abused, etc. They allow visitors to tour and meet some of the rescued animals. That's right - you can meet TIGERS. We were within 3-5 feet of this:

This is Jellybean, a gorgeous white tiger. White tigers are actually not a subspecies,

they are a product of inbreeding.

Now, you might be saying "Kelly this is a blog for cute things. Tigers are vicious predators who can take off your face in a matter of seconds." And yes, you're right. At first glance, it's a little intimidating having this huge tiger walk up to you. They also do many cat like things like rub up against fences which is completely adorable no matter how fast they can kill me. However, one tiger stole my heart. A tiger named Nitro.

D'awwwwwww!

11 year-old Nitro is incredibly endearing in both appearance and personality. His short stature and friendly/curious personality are a deadly combination for cuteness. He's also blind which is why I wasn't terrified when he looked right at me when I took this picture. For a blind animal, he's incredibly trusting and gets around his space very well considering there are trees everywhere.

If you want to see better higher quality pictures of Nitro and the other lovely beautiful tigers at the Carolina Tiger Rescue, check out their facebook page. The photos they have are amazing, the one at the top of the entry is from them. If you love animals, you should absolutely visit the Carolina Tiger Rescue. The lovely people here are incredibly passionate about helping these animals and it's really quite an experience to be up close with a tiger.