Live Tigers Dazzle at the 72nd Annual Dubuque County Fair

In recent years, live animals have been a real hit at the Dubuque County Fair. Last year, sea lions found their way into the hearts of countless fairgoers. The show worked two-fold in entertaining the public and also briefly teaching folks, particularly children, about the dangers of pollution, which of course was handled with pointed humor.

This year, the Dubuque County Fair switched it up and welcomed a "Tiger Encounter" to the exhibit grounds. Multiple times a day, families and fairgoers were treated to an exciting display of tiger camaraderie at the hands of one of the trainers.

READ MORE: Sea Lions Clap, Flip, and Steal the Show at the 71st Annual Dubuque County Fair (PHOTOS)

Tigers are fascinating creatures. At their heart, they're just large cats. They spend 18-20 hours a day sleeping, they are very protective of their families, and they have both a playful and an independent side. Like domesticated house cats, sometimes they want to be the center of attention, and at other times, they want to be left alone to sleep or play amongst their peers.

On Friday, Catherine and I settled into watch the Tiger Encounter. A trainer welcomed a female cat named Samara into the cage where she performed a variety of tigers. Still a young cat herself, Samara was a natural performer. The wrinkle for the show, the announcer said, was the fact that their tigers are in heat, so they can be a bit more ornery and disobedient during this time. You would've never known that judging by Samara's performance.

Following the brief show, which ran for about 20 minutes, fairgoers were invited to feed the tigers for $5. This was a fun experience I probably wouldn't have done if Catherine hadn't convinced me to do so (she's good at that).

Those who lined up to feed the tigers got some helpful instruction from the respective tiger trainer. She placed a piece of food (it looked like chicken, but I can't be certain) on a long, metal stake. Once the food was secured, we could slide the stake through the square openings of the gate for Samara to eat it. You can tell from the photos above she understood the assignment.

READ MORE: The First Day of the 72nd Annual Dubuque County Fair (PHOTOS)

Whether it's sea lions or tigers, the Dubuque County Fair knows how to get animal exhibits that are immediate hits with fairgoers of all ages. See more photos from the 72nd Annual Dubuque County Fair here!