The moment a two-year-old girl came face to face with a 370lb Bengal tiger... and survived without a scratch

By Caroline Grant
Last updated at 11:13 PM on 07th May 2009

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A powerful tiger extends a less than friendly paw - and for a horrifying moment it looks as if this little girl is about to become a tasty snack.

Just inches away , the tiny two-year-old girl is close enough to feel the animal's breath on the back of her neck.

Yet Avery Thompson stands motionless, oblivious to the 370lb beast as he stretches out one of his deadly paws to touch her shoulder.

She appears to be just seconds away from certain death in this breathtaking picture, but little Avery is actually perfectly safe. Almos the Royal White Bengal tiger is behind a thick pane of glass.

Face to face: Avery Thompson appears to be seconds from death as she comes face to face with Royal White Bengal Tiger Almos, but the toddler is perfectly safe - protected by a pane of glass

The barrier is invisible in the photos which capture the extraordinary moment a tiger makes an attempt to interact with a child.

Avery only realises that Almos is so close when he taps the glass with his paw.

She turns round and comes face to face with the two-year-old tiger.

It was amateur wildlife photographer Dyrk Daniels who captured this startling sight when he was photographing the Bengal Tigers at Cougar Mountain Zoo, in Washington.

The 44-year-old said it was not until he looked at the pictures later that he realised little Avery appeared to be so dangerously close to the tiger.

'I did not realise to what extent it appeared that there was nothing between Avery and the Almos until I reviewed the photo,' he said.

'When I took the shot, I noticed the reflection of Avery's coat in the glass and assumed that I would also get additional reflection from people that were standing just out of frame.'

First contact: Almos the tiger was fascinated by the unaware toddler standing close by, trying to reach out and touch her shoulder

Mr Daniels, an aerospace engineer living in Washington, USA, with his wife Julia, 44, described the moment Almos reached out an impressive paw.

He said: 'Avery had her back to the glass at first when Almos approached her, so she had no idea the tiger was that close.

'Almos then brushed his left paw on the window, this caught Avery's attention.

'She turned around and was face to face with him - this really startled her and she moved a few feet from the windows, but she was very brave, did not cry or scream.

'Lots of people said they thought the tiger must be thinking of the little girl as a handy bite-sized snack.'

Mr Daniels, who has been photographing animals for three years, admitted he had never seen them behave like this.

'I have never seen a large cat as eager to interact with people - they usually shy away. I was floored by the tigers reaction, but tried to stay composed to keep shooting.'

Almos was raised at the zoo alongside Golden Bengal Tiger, Taj. The pair were bottle fed as young cubs and share the same enclosure.

Both tigers have only just celebrated their second birthday and Almos is expected to weigh at least 500 lbs when he is fully grown.

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