Two tigers, both victims of inappropriate private keeping, have arrived at the FOUR PAWS project LIONSROCK Big Cat Sanctuary in South Africa on 23rd October 2019.
Tigers Bela and Sharuk were born in 2014 in the garden of a private keeper in Germany. Their third sibling, called Imara, unfortunately, did not survive. Although private keeping of tigers is still allowed in some parts of Germany, the minimum prescribed keeping standards were not met. Therefore, the veterinary authorities forced the owner to give up the siblings, but a suitable solution could not be found.
FOUR PAWS offered support and brought Bela and Sharuk to TIERART Big Cat Centre in 2015.
After a check by the state vet in Johannesburg, the tigers were cleared to travel to LIONSROCK Big Cat Sanctuary. “Although it has been a very long journey, both tigers are doing well considering the conditions and have already had some species-appropriate food.
Bela is still a bit insecure about her environment and will need more time to adapt. Sharuk, on the other hand, is confident and has already taken a splash in his pool,” says Hildegard Pirker, Head of the Animal Welfare Department at LIONSROCK.
“In the coming days, Bela and Sharuk will be kept in the feeding area of their enclosure to become accustomed with their new surroundings and caretakers. This is a very important part of their adaption phase. We will monitor their behaviour and when the time is right, release them into the bigger part of their enclosure to roam, relax, hide or swim in their big pool,” says Pirker.
Pics: FOUR PAWS
