Derek Drudge
Maximus on the Run
Maximus the Siberian Tiger is growing rapidly! When I first photographed him at just shy of 2 months old he was 19 lbs. The next time I visited him was 3 months old and 38 Lbs. The next time a few weeks later he was about 50 Lbs. Then about 60Lbs a few weeks after. This past week he turned 5 month old and when I saw him this weekend he weighed in at 75 Lbs. He will be 10Xs that when he is finished growing.
I am really glad that he seems to like me. I have been around him enough now that I know how his mischievous little mind works and can anticipate his "sneak attacks". He has also started obeying my commands (at least the word "NO!") and he stops in his tracks mid-pounce. He is not at all aggressive, but he is a kitten and behaves EXACTLY like the 5 month old kitten I have at home. He likes to stalk, pounce, scratch, and bite, Only difference is a 75 Lbs kitten has REALLY big claws already and could bite right through a hand or forearm with ease.
In this shot I threw a large ball (actually a toy ball designed for horses) and then quickly locked focus as he ran after it firing off a burst. Once he gets the ball, getting it back from him to throw again is....well....let's just say I wait for him to drop it which he does right before he jumps in his pool to splash around and cool off.
I feel so lucky to have this opportunity to spend time interacting with such a beautiful animal and capturing his growth in photographs and video for his humans.
Maximus on the Run
Maximus the Siberian Tiger is growing rapidly! When I first photographed him at just shy of 2 months old he was 19 lbs. The next time I visited him was 3 months old and 38 Lbs. The next time a few weeks later he was about 50 Lbs. Then about 60Lbs a few weeks after. This past week he turned 5 month old and when I saw him this weekend he weighed in at 75 Lbs. He will be 10Xs that when he is finished growing.
I am really glad that he seems to like me. I have been around him enough now that I know how his mischievous little mind works and can anticipate his "sneak attacks". He has also started obeying my commands (at least the word "NO!") and he stops in his tracks mid-pounce. He is not at all aggressive, but he is a kitten and behaves EXACTLY like the 5 month old kitten I have at home. He likes to stalk, pounce, scratch, and bite, Only difference is a 75 Lbs kitten has REALLY big claws already and could bite right through a hand or forearm with ease.
In this shot I threw a large ball (actually a toy ball designed for horses) and then quickly locked focus as he ran after it firing off a burst. Once he gets the ball, getting it back from him to throw again is....well....let's just say I wait for him to drop it which he does right before he jumps in his pool to splash around and cool off.
I feel so lucky to have this opportunity to spend time interacting with such a beautiful animal and capturing his growth in photographs and video for his humans.