We’ve said it time and time again: wild animals have no place in a circus.
Aasha, a Bengal tiger, is a prime example of the pain that these creatures go through. Thankfully, her journey took a turn for the better when she received the much-needed attention from an animal protection charity.
When Aasha was nine months old in 2011, she was saved from a traveling circus. All of her brief existence she had been kept in a cage with an especially hostile tiger.
She had a serious skin infection and her fur was falling out. Her growth was hindered by her terrible childhood, making her smaller than average and weighing only as much as a cub three months old.
Eventually, Aasha was given up to the care of In-Sync Exotics, a company that specializes in rehabilitating untamed cats that had been kept in captivity.
Vicky Keahey of In-Sync Exotics told The Dodo, “I would go in and give Aasha medications and spend time with her every day, twice a day.”
Vicky had to bathe Aasha every day with a special medical bath. Vicky frequently had to chase the baby tiger around the cage in order to bring her into the bath because she did not enjoy this practice.
Following an eight-week course of therapy, Aasha started to develop new fur. She eventually began to look forward to her daily bathing as well. Vicky kept making baths for her even after her treatment was over and she was no longer in need of them, so the tiger could continue to enjoy herself while playing in the water.
Aasha became healthier and stronger with time. She eventually became too big for Vicky to sit in the cage with her, so they played through the bars instead.
Now that Aasha had recovered for eight months, it was time to test how she would get along with other tigers.
Her guardians decided to introduce her to Smuggler, a friendly male tiger who was looking for a friend. After putting their cages next to each other so they could get to know one another, Smuggler developed an immediate affection for her.
The staff observed a close bond developing between the two tigers, despite the fact that they were three times larger than Aasha, which led to monitored visits. Aasha was ecstatic beyond belief.
Following multiple harmonious encounters, it was decided that the two tigers were prepared to coexist permanently.
Aasha and Smuggler have been a couple for five years, and they are still really close. Now an adult tiger, Aasha is playful, healthy, and loves to swim!
Aasha has a happy existence despite the fact that she was raised in captivity and lacks the abilities needed to survive in the wild, thus she will never be allowed to be free. She’ll never put up with the treatment she got at the circus again!
