By Pat Craig | Executive Director
As this year comes to a close, we feel sincerely grateful for all of the support we’ve received this last year! Our local, national, and international rescues would not be possible without the ongoing support from people like you.
Oftentimes, our rescues involve adult large carnivores but sometimes we answer the call to rescue smaller animals, like a tiger cub! Earlier this year we were called to Alburquerque, NM to rescue a 4-month old tiger named Duke.
Here’s Duke’s rescue story: Back in February 2023, Alburquerque police responded to a shooting call and followed a trail of blood leading to a local trailer park. There they discovered an illegal drug ring where a young tiger cub, Duke, was being kept in a small dog crate. Duke had been obtained illegally and had been kept as a pet by people who had no idea how to care for him. Unfortunately, we hear about this story far too often- people buying illegal wildlife and not providing proper care for them.
When Duke arrived at the Sanctuary, he received full veterinary evaluation and was slowly introduced to larger and larger habitats. Due to Duke’s small size, we couldn’t place him in a regular habitat as he would easily slip through the fence! Placing a newly rescued tiger in a 20-acre habitat could be incredibly stressful and could cause further trauma to the animal. As Duke grew, we slowly introduced him to larger and larger habitats, observing his reactions for signs of curiosity and fear.
These days, Duke is a fully grown male tiger who loves to live in the large acre habitats of the Sanctuary. Alongside other rescued tigers, Duke receives individualized care and monitoring to make sure his daily health and nutrition needs are met. In the pictures attached, you can compare Duke as a 4-month cub in our Vet Clinic to Duke almost a year old, thriving in his habitat.
Your support allows the Sanctuary to “answer the call” and accept new rescues from all over the country. From dog crates, to abandoned circuses, to weather-wrecked zoos, the Wild Animal Sanctuary continues to combat the Captive Wildlife Crisis. With over 43 years of experience, we have become the go-to Sanctuary to contact regarding large carnivore rescues and all of our efforts would not be possible without the kindness and generosity from people like you!
If you would like to learn more about our recent rescues or where the animals are now, check out our recorded Walk Into the Wild Live Event and our 2023 Fall newsletter! Both highlight our 2023 Puerto Rico rescue and the opening of The Wild Horse Refuge!
https://www.walkintothewild.org/
https://www.wildhorserefuge.org/
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