Ugh...wild animals are wild animals. I won't even do the swimming with dolphins thing. Those are big evil animals ;)
You might be able to convince me too pose with a tiger cub (actually i think it might be fun). At least when he goes crazy he won't be able to eat me in one gulp or eviscerate me in one "playful" swat.
I would PAY to be allowed - every time the zoo has a litter, the news crew goes out & they get to play with them & they're just as cute as can be. But those are CUBS. Anybody who plays around with a full grown tiger is nuts. You'd think her folks would have seen at least one of the stories about Siegfred (or was it Roy?) that got all chewed up by a tiger he'd known for years, right there on stage.
Dolphins are usually pretty people friendly, but there are more than a few cases of dolphins working pretty hard to drown swimmers and divers.
They can be nasty, unpleasant animals when they feel like it. Like chimps, their public persona often conflicts with their actual disposition.