Sri Racha Tiger Zoo, Pattaya

What do Bengal tigers, dogs and pigs have in common? After all, they’re all members of the animal kingdom but they come from completely different families. At Sriracha Tiger Zoo, though, you will find them all living together in harmony, thanks to the zoo’s rather unique feeding programme. Witness mother pigs feed tiger cubs alongside their own piglets; have your picture taken with the cubs; watch the crocodile show, or enjoy riding on an elephant. Also, meet and feed the ostriches, single hump camels, kangaroos and an aviary of exotic birds. This is one place for families to enjoy quality time together.

Open in 1997, the tiger zoo covers a vast 400,000sqm area just 30 minutes’ south of Pattaya by car. The zoo is divided into four zones: tiger breeding zone, talent show zone, crocodile zone and animal zone. The main attraction is the tiger cub feeding room, which showcases tiger cubs and piglets living and feeding in the same cage. For an extra fee, you can feed the cubs and have your picture taken with them.

The zoo offers daily tiger, elephant, crocodile and pig shows. Not enough thrills? Then meet the ‘Scorpion Queen’, the lady who set the Guinness World Record in 2008 for ‘The Longest Stay with Scorpions’, by staying in a 12sqm room with 5,000 adult scorpions for 33 days. Otherwise, head over to the animal zone and watch rare wild animals, such as single-humped camels, deer, ostriches and wallabies, up close. The Elephant Museum features a collection of life-sized elephant figures, from the extinct species like mammoths to the war elephants of ancient Thailand to today’s wild Asia and African elephants.