Great Adventure Outpost
Latest Updates => Park News => Topic started by: jglonek on September 30, 2010, 10:57:16 AM
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UPDATE: Temple of the Tiger is officially gone, for good.
The park has posted the following on their Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/sixflagsgreatadventure):
We are constantly reviewing and modifying our entertainment offering and after much discussion and consideration we have come to a decision to close the Temple of the Tiger facility.
We recognize that these majestic animals play a vital role in building public awareness and promoting conservation through education. Adjacent to the theme park is our 350 acre wildlife preserve, home to more than 1,200 exotic animals from around the globe. Our Bengal tigers will join nine other tigers in the Asian section of the animal park.
This was also posted on our Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/gadvoutpost) by a fan, who received an email from the park:
We are constantly reviewing and modifying our entertainment offering and after much discussion and consideration we have come to a decision to close the Temple of the Tiger facility. We’re still providing our guests with an in...credible value and a tremendous family entertainment experience including 13 thrilling roller coasters, four children’s areas, shows including Dolphin Discovery and a sensational concert line-up. Next year, since we need to renovate our product offering, we are planning a new show to entertain our visitors.
We recognize that these majestic animals play a vital role in building public awareness and promoting conservation through education. Adjacent to the theme park is our 350 acre wildlife preserve, home to more than 1,200 exotic animals from around the globe. Zoological parks such as the Wild Safari enable us to educate the public about the critical interdependence of animals and our environment. Our Safari staff continues to concentrate on preserving the most endangered and threatened species including the Addax, Scimitar Horned Oryx, Siberian tiger and many others. Our Bengal tigers will join nine other tigers in the Asian section of the animal park.
Please know that our Bengal tigers are in good hands. Our Wild Safari team has a commitment to excellent animal care, and is passionate about their well-being. We are proud to be able to offer an opportunity for the public to observe these amazing animals. We want to continue to create a greater awareness about the plight of these animals and their natural environment.
Previous Post:
Not to stir the pot anymore on our missing tigers, but it appears the Temple of the Tiger page (http://www.sixflags.com/greatAdventure/entertainment/TempleoftheTiger.aspx) on the official website has been deleted. You can still see it on the Entertainment page (http://www.sixflags.com/greatAdventure/entertainment/AllEntertainment.aspx), but the link goes nowhere.
This doesn't look good! Maybe it's just a mistake?
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One of the best things to happen to the park in its recent history (addition of GK), and they are already killing the section. Really really not cool.
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If it is not going to be open the rest of the season, why would they leave the page up?
I'd not panic yet.
The fire department, on the other hand, if true, I'd be far more worried about....so far.
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This is a dissapointment I really enjoyed seeing the tigers in that area of the park . My son loved them playing in the water it was a cool experience ... :(
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We're still providing our guests with an incredible value
Unfortunately, that seems to be their answer to everything. That's the same answer they give about the season pass parking issue. While it may still be a value, cutting back on things the guests are used to having is not a good way of doing business.
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As Kevin Yee puts it, Declining by Degrees. They keep slashing things little by little without paying attention to how all of these things added up to the overall guest experience. This could end up being the case here because I know we always stopped by to see the tigers and subconsciously will likely feel a lesser experience next season if they are gone. Eventually we'll have a coaster park that exhibits no emotion and that will ultimately affect the bottom line. Hopefully some smarter people prevail here because while many things I hear are wonderful, it should not come at the expense of taking away from what makes the park "our" park.
And per the fire department comment, that is official unfortunately.
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Well, let's see what else gets cut for our 50th anniversary, so far moree has been cut than put in.
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Another slight variation on their comments, since they are responding to people on their Facebook:
Hi Nancy. We are constantly reviewing and modifying our entertainment offerings and after much discussion and consideration we have come to a decision to close the Temple of the Tiger facility. We recognize that these animals play a vital role in building public awareness and promoting conservation through education. The will still be found on the Great Adventure property - they'll just be moving adjacent to the park in our Wild Safari which is also home to more than 1,200 exotic animals from around the globe.
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when ever i would go to Ka i would stop and look at the tiger. Do you think they will move the turtles there?
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If the viewpoint is, as I am beginning to suspect, "You wanna see animals, you are going to have to go to Wild Safari, at extra expense," I'd almost expect the turtles to become part of the safari...
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With that statement considered, I guess they'll take out the log flume so people have to pay extra to go to the water park just to cool off...
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Temple of the Tiger to a VIP Smoking Area!
Watch them smoke behind the glass.
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/\ LOL it's just like the glass smoking rooms at some airports. Smokers behind glass lol
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Jerry! They stole our idea!
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Only the first one - we still have the Golden Kingdom Cabana Cove idea!
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Definitely one of the worst moves the park has made in a while. Yes we are all coaster enthusiasts, but we also can appreciate the other aspects of a park that make it enjoyable. The tigers and that whole area were one of the things that gave the park some character. Really upsetting to see this happen.
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Well, I want to see what else they have planned. I'm heading out tonight for Fall Family Fun Night and I'll post about what's happening.
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Maybe they could make it a cove with a swimming hole ! They have two pools in there LOL
I have to say all joking aside these moves make me wonder what they really have going on ? These are HUGE cuts to major areas of the running and entertainment of the park . I am sure many will not return after a few visits next summer or spring because I am sure the cuts will be noticed . Yes Green Lantern will pull in some but I see many of the people with families not wanting to return if there is not much of anything else to do but the coasters . The kids with my sons height are not happy there and I think going to Hershey or Dorney maybe a better option for some . Just wondering how much more will go over the winter ?
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Too bad this topic didnt start off with "The Dippin Dots guy told me..."
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HE'S BACK!!!! but yes, I do wish it started off as "the dippin' dots guy told me..."
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I only wish it had been the Dippin' Dots guy. Then, perhaps, it would not be, as this appears to be, true.
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I <3 dippin dots guy...... Im sad to see this go. I am suprised. its like there trying to to make this a coaster park
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I <3 dippin dots guy...... Im sad to see this go. I am suprised. its like there trying to to make this a coaster park
Bad move, enough said...
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Visiting Temple of the Tiger was an awesome experience. I went back many times each season since 2006. Funding is not the reason for the closure since the park is in the process of building a new roller coaster. The only other place that compares is Odin's Temple of the Tiger at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. The Kingda Ka roller coaster was named for Kingda Ka the tiger. So many people are disappointed. Here's some video of the Tigers in action:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07KOUj9zncg#noexternalembed (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07KOUj9zncg#noexternalembed)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwZuEY9SY78#noexternalembed (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwZuEY9SY78#noexternalembed)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTcwUolM-U8#noexternalembed (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTcwUolM-U8#noexternalembed)
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Assuming that is true, I do not believe it is up to the trainers to decide if and when to breed any animals, regardless of how long they have been with them. I would think that would be up to the vet techs that take care of the animals.
Also, who knows how tigers act when they are in heat and start to mate. They may no longer be usable for education and show purposes once that starts.
Not to mention the conditions at Temple of the Tiger may not be suitable for any pregnant tiger, or infant tigers.
While these tigers are rare, and they should definitely breed at some point in their lives, if the trainers took it upon themselves to attempt to breed them without authorization from the park management and vets then they deserved to be fired.
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UPDATE (10-7-2010): A message from "Christine Nordmann" on facebook has CONFIRMED that john fitzgerald closed Temple of the Tiger and fired all of the trainers for the horrible crime of wanting to mate Kingda Ka and Chandaka. Why? New cubs would have been a great crowd magnet for the park. The sea lions are breeding, the lions are breeding, why not the tigers? It is commendable of the trainers to be willing to take upon themselves the responsibility of caring for and training the next generation of tiger performers. Kingda Ka and Chandi would have produced awesome cubs. Now we have nothing!
Photos and bios of the 6 tigers from Temple of the Tiger are posted on my facebook page "William David Kuehne". Video is posted on my youtube page "mtnwolf63".
Thank you for the heads up on the fb post mtnwolf63. As Jerry said though, rules are rules and if this is in fact true, you can't just go and do something like this without it being part of the plan for the corporation as a whole. If I say, worked for a really large software company, I couldn't just decide one day to add a feature to it on my own without following the proper procedures and guidelines.
Ultimately, the biggest issue I could see with this at our park are the costs involved. These animals must have a HUGE budget. Adding more tigers to the family would certainly need to be budgeted for. And then, as Jerry mentioned, they may not have the proper facilities.
I'm not saying these things as excuses but just to make sure people are aware of the other side of things. It's still a shame that we now have nothing at all. Hopefully cooler heads will prevail eventually. Perhaps guest complaints could be bad enough next season to bring them back? Who knows. What I do know is the trainers loved and cared for these animals as if they were their own family and I personally don't feel there was anything purposely done here to jeopardize things.
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So they're not at Safari?
This update just in from a friend: I had a wonderful time at the park on Sunday for Fright Fest. However, I was once again saddened when I walked by the Temple of the Tiger area and see it so empty & sad. I really miss those cats. So I decided to take one of the safari tour buses in the afternoon. While enjoyable, I was even sadder to NOT see the Temple cats there. The tigers I saw were NOT Balin, Hara, Kingda Ka and the others. Where are my cats? Our bus driver told us the trainers are no longer working there (which I already know) and that the tigers are still in the Temple, yet one employee said they are in the safari (as does the letter below you sent me, which is a letter from "corporate"). Are they locked up in cages indoors all the time? Those poor tigers must be so depressed! They had a wonderful life outside, interacting with the trainers who raised them, whom they considered their family, until corporate took them away by firing them for a silly reason. This show educated me (and the hundreds of thousands of others who saw the show) on how important it is to help preserve this beautiful animal! Over a century ago, there were more than 100,000 tigers in the wild. Now, it is estimated that there are fewer than 3,000. Due to poaching, habitat loss and scarcity of prey, all tigers are highly endangered and struggling to survive. Unless a solution is found, all wild tigers will become extinct. So what’s the problem with breeding the Temple tigers? You'd think the park would have welcomed some new cubs which could have been featured in the show. Instead those amazing trainers who dedicated their time to the cats were fired?! What's wrong with this picture?