Tigers are considered powerful and strong animals. With their sheer size, they can send any human running away in fear. Even other animals are scared of them.
Aasha, a Bengal tiger, has a different story.
Instead of having a beautiful coat, there were missing patches on hers. Weighing only 30 pounds, she looked weak and fragile.
Instead of being in her natural habitat, Aasha was kept in a small cage.
She was in the care of a traveling circus.
The humans running it as well as the other tiger staying with her in the same cage didn’t appreciate her. She was neglected, hurt, and mistreated.
Thankfully, the people from In-Sync Exotics Wildlife Rescue and Educational Center were there to rescue her.
They took her away from her awful environment and gave her a new chance at a better life.
They even introduced a special playmate to her. The tiger had a similar experience as Aasha.
He was a struggling tiger. Apart from having ringworm, he was quite underweight as well. He weighed the same as a 3-month-old tiger.
The founder of the animal rescue group, Vicky Keahey, was very dedicated to changing the tigers’ lives. Handling mistreated tigers isn’t easy work. In fact, it was dangerous even for the experts.
Vicky was determined to help the animals.
She was even willing to risk her own life just to establish a bond with Aasha. Each day, she’d go inside Aasha’s enclosure to give her medications. There, she’d spend time showing the animal that she meant no harm.
It was a struggle.
Aasha wasn’t very fond of the water. It’s one of the reasons why Vicky found the task of giving the tiger her daily medicated baths extra challenging. At times, she’d even chase after her.
It took 8 months for the team to get Aasha back to her old self.
After months of hard work, the tiger has finally grown her stunning coat. She’s gained weight too.
After Aasha was deemed healthy enough to socialize with other animals, she was introduced to Smuggler.
And for the two tigers, it was love at first sight.
They spent hours playing by Aasha’s pool. After the team was sure that the tigers were getting along really well, they were moved in together.
