Zoos.  Always a bit of a guilty pleasure. I love seeing the animals and feel bad that they are in captivity. But yesterday, at Paphos Zoo, I got to see one very special animal up close. And I’ll admit it felt magical.

This was our second trip to Paphos Zoo. We first went in the summer of 2015, it was boiling hot and we tried to stand beneath the mist that is pumped into the animal enclosures to cool them down.  We had a lovely day. The zoo isn’t too large and tiring for children and it sits in pretty, landscaped grounds. It used to be a bird park, which is still evident from the numerous aviaries dotted along the pathways. Now it also houses a wide selection of animals. On the whole, the animals seem well-cared for, though the enclosures for the lions and tigers should be much bigger.

Paphos Zoo wasn’t as expensive to get in as we’d thought – around €40 for two adults and a child. Once we’d paid we headed straight for the 12 noon bird show and watched various talkative parrots and owls perform tricks.

As the show drew to a close, the keeper said, ‘Usually this would be the end of the show. But today we have someone very special we’d like you to meet.’ A door opened and out came a woman holding a fluffy ball of orange and black stripes, no larger than a puppy. It was a baby tiger.

I’ve never seen a baby tiger before and seeing this one brought a lump to my throat. It was so small and vulnerable – not words I usually associate with tigers. The keeper introduced her as Lily, a three-week-old Siberian tiger. Her mother rejected her shortly after she was born and the keepers had to rescue her after she was injured and became dehydrated.

Lily sat on a blanket on a table and the audience were invited to interact with her. I felt a little uneasy about whether Lily was being exploited, but the keepers explained that the interaction was necessary for her socialisation. And apparently the money raised would be used to help care for her. The interactions were managed sensitively. People got about 3 minutes with Lily; they were allowed to stroke her but not pick her up or try to make her do anything she didn’t want to do.  If she chose to climb onto your lap then that was fine, but you couldn’t put her there. Goobie sat on the table with his legs stretched out and laughed as she climbed over him.

We waited until everyone else had gone before meeting Lily. It was well worth the wait because things had quietened down by the time we saw her. Also, because there was no one behind us we weren’t moved on as quickly and we were lucky enough to spend about 15 minutes with her. When Lily decided she didn’t want to be on the table anymore, they put her on the ground for a walk around (since there was no one else there).  She was still so young she hadn’t quite mastered how to balance on her massive paws.

We sat on the floor and watched her, enthralled. It was incredible to think that one day she would be a huge, magnificent tiger and close encounters like this would be impossible. Frequently she walked up to us, climbing over our legs or sitting on us.

And then she started to cry. An unusual sound, somewhere between a miaow and a weak roar. She was hungry. The keepers told us that she is fed on demand and that once the zoo closes for the day, she goes home with them to be cared for around the clock. It was time for Lily’s lunch. And time for ours too. We said goodbye to her and walked to the Flamingo restaurant in a happy daze.

We spent the afternoon wandering around the rest of the Paphos Zoo and meeting all the other animals, birds and reptiles. Goobie loved the Reptile House and its colourful collection of snakes.

I loved watching the tigers. There was the mum, dad and the two cubs that were born a couple of years ago. The dad just sat there looking magnificent while the cubs tried to play with him. Eventually they gave up and played with each other instead.

For €10, Goobie and his friend Sophie had fun feeding the gentle giraffes, their long, black tongues out ready to take the leaves being offered to them.

Spring is the perfect time to visit the zoo. The cooler temperature meant that we saw more of the animals. In hotter weather, the animals seek the cool shade and you don’t always see them. Even the little Ocelot was asleep outside.

There was a certain ‘something’ in the air yesterday. We witnessed a few ‘special cuddles’ (as we call it when Goobie asks). From birds in the aviaries, to rabbits chasing each other across the pathways. From ducks on the grass verges to the incredible white lions. Everyone had love on their minds! Even the enormous male tiger tried to get it on.

There were babies everywhere. The tiny pink head of a baby wallaby peeking out of its mother’s pouch.  Baby goats, lambs, bunnies and a penguin.

Even an exquisitely cute baby howler monkey, clinging to its mother’s back.

Despite my reservations about the size of some of the enclosures in Paphos Zoo, we had a great day out. We were all really touched by our close encounter with Lily, the baby tiger. And one day, when he’s old enough, we will take Goobie back to India to see tigers in the wild. Until then, I know that these artificial encounters will help to strengthen his love of animals and his curiosity about the world.