Siberian Tigers & Germ Warfare

Siberian Tigers

The plan for the day was to go to the Siberian Tiger Centre and the Unit 731 where the Japanese experimented with Germ Warfare.  The two places were in the opposite direction and we would make separate trips, including the Spanish guy Vicente for the latter.

It worked out better for Vicente for him to join in the afternoon, so we left for the Siberian Tiger Centre rather late at 0945.  The traffic was horrendous as we approached the place and it was easier for us to overshoot and do a U-turn back.

We were dropped off on the main road around 1020 and had to walk a reasonable distance in the heat to get to the ticketing area where there were long queues.  We considered paying extra for priority entry then decided to book online instead.

I booked on Trip.com but apparently the tickets need an hour to become active, so I refunded them while D rebooked on a local site.

In no time, we were on board the bus that would take us to tour the site.  It seemed all very easy despite the appearance of the queues.  We weren’t quite sure why there was a pricier option but perhaps it was for the buses that had holes for feeding the tigers.

The 30 min ride took us into the large fenced area that was separated into many zones.  We had good views of the Siberian tigers generally resting perhaps because of the heat.  Some sat in ponds to keep cool.

In one of the last zones were some lions, including a large maned male.  I thought it was wrong to have creatures from Africa to be kept here in the -37 degC winter.  During my last visit during winter, they were indeed in open areas.

When the bus ride finished, we were dropped off at the start of a walkway flanked by fenced pens on both sides.  Here, the sight of animals in smaller enclosures wasn’t so good.

There were small cats, bears and tigers.  Visitors could buy food to feed the animals.  It’s probably quite politically incorrect to enjoy watching kids feeding meat to the large tigers using tongs through the secure fence, but I did.

Leaving that area, there were some petting zoos with rabbits and goats.  There was also a semi-open area where tiger cubs and lion cubs were sleeping with a nanny keeping a close eye on them.  Unlike Thailand over two decades ago, one cannot pay to pet them here. Times have changed, even here!

Text continues after this gallery.

It was time for us to wrap up our visit to the Siberian Tiger Park.  There was a bit of an exodus of visitors and it was rather difficult to order a cark.  We were very lucky to meet a Hokkien taxi driver that was prepared to leave empty so that he could get to his afternoon appointment.

So, he gave us a good deal and also dropped us off at local-style eatery where we overate for lunch.

Unit 731

After a short rest in the hostel, we got a car, along with Vicente to go to Unit 731.  This is the site where the Japanese did germ warfare and other experiments (e.g. hypothermic exposure) on human subjects.

It was very creepy to walk through the main building knowing how many people had suffered and died slow painful deaths there.

Leaving the main building, we go to the ruins of buildings that have largely been destroyed.  The ruins are protected by large warehouse-style buildings.  I couldn’t remember any of those ruins, so I looked up my old photos to realise that much of the outdoor area was in knee-high snow.  They would have been buried in snow.

Lastly, we went to the large, dark, modern, tilted building by the main road.  This was supposed to house much of the evidence of what had gone on at Unit 731.  This building is new since my last visit and back then, such evidence was held in first building that we visited today.

But at 1630, this large museum was closed already.  While it is a significant part of the history, it was probably going to be too depressing.

Text continues after this gallery.

From Unit 731, we took a long metro back to city centre instead of ordering another car for fear of rush hour traffic congestion.

We finished the day with another BBQ meal, this time in a fairly upmarket restaurant.  Vicente, while vegetarian was happy to join us and there were sufficient vegetarian skewers to keep him happy.