OK! So I was working for a magic show. It had just started up and they were short on stage hands... So I was working my days off as a stage hand helping pull props on and off stage. Picture this (in my Sophia Petrillo voice) a very large cage. With steel bars. I'd say like a 12' by 12' cage. Back half of the cage, the bars are covered by Plexiglas (so the tiger can't grab stuff out of the cage) front half is wide open, normal. Tigers in cage. There's a steel plate that when its lifted off the floor in the cage it locks into place so in the back you have the tiger secure. There's a latch outside and the cage is covered with a colorful sheet that velcros to the outside... Thus covering the tiger and gimmick...
So the cage is all "set". Me and another stagehand are supposed to push this cage out onto the stage on cue right... Well when the magicians assistant (this dippy blonde guy lol) put the sheet around the cage he hit the latch so it wasn't TOTALLY LOCKED. well the tiger weighed like 3x the cage did... We're all waiting in the wings. I'm literally between a wall and the cage. MAYBE 6 inch space to fit in. The tiger starts getting restless. She's pacing around. No worries right cuz she's blocked in with Plexiglas right? Well her pacing and moving just enough to where the latch lets loose. BAM! the f*cking steel plate SLAMS down. And the tiger is out! Roaming all around the open bar part now. The other stage hand rips the sheet off and there's the Tiger and there's me. I'm wedged in this tight space and she takes one look at me and heads my way. I'm like "ah f*ck what a way to go..." When she comes right in my FACE. I mean there's nothing between us but some bs bars. I feel her whiskers on my face. Breath... I'm literally frozen. Heart stopped lol and she sniffs my face and lets out this huge breath... Like a horse.. You know lips flapping and all... And just turns around and walks toward the back of the cage and laid down...
Meanwhile the entire staff is scrambling yelling "TIGER OUT TIGER OUT!!" and the wranglers come and get everyone calm and put her back safely.
After I changed my shorts I had a nice long talk with the dippy blonde kid.... Absolutely thought she was gonna grab me. Didn't think I had a split second to move at all. She had me pinned. I think she was just as scared as I was. Poor thing... We were kinda buddies after that too. Tigers chuff when they are happy. They move their mouths and lips and make this vibrating noise... She would see me and chuff after that lol I'd say hi and chuff right back! She let me live! Lol
