Tiger, tiger, burning bright..
New life of big cats saved by generosity of Mirror readers
FIVE tigers kept in squalid conditions at a circus in Spain have a new life in the UK thanks to Mirror readers.
The big cats had been locked in a cramped cage, where they fought for scraps of food.
But generous readers raised £20,000 to bring them here.
Natasha, four, Antonella, 13, Zoppa, six, Mondo, 14, and Girona, 16, are now enjoying home at the
Isle of Wight Zoo.
Charlotte Corney, founder of The Wildheart
Trust which runs it, said: “It’s a huge amount of money, congratulations to the Mirror.
That has gone into the cost of construction to build facilities which some of our resident cats moved in to, to make way for the rescue tigers.”
Earlier this year we joined Charlotte, 42, and Springwatch host Chris Packham to visit the animals at AAP Primadomus in Alicante, a rescue facility that rehabilitates ex-circus animals.
We told how they wanted the five tigers to enjoy retirement here. Chris, 57, also Charlotte’s long-term partner, said: “One of the males came out of his crate after the journey from Spain and ambled over to his pool.
“He backed in, as tigers do, then swam. He’d probably never swum before. I can’t tell you he smiled, but I can tell you he was happy. And playing a small role in making the old boy happy made my summer.”
As we approached the female enclosure Natasha bounded over to us, just as she did when we first met her in Spain.
Charlotte said: “We can’t give them what we’d love to give them, complete freedom. They wouldn’t survive in the wild. But we can protect their interests, love them and make sure they have the best veterinary care.” She said the tigers had also helped ease the pain of losing a tiger she had hand-reared.
She said: “One of our animal carers said on the day these cats arrived, ‘It’s like an injection of light into the zoo’. It was exactly that. All of a sudden everything lit up again and there was life.” ■ To adopt one of the tigers and keep up to date with its progress, visit isleofwightzoo. com/whats-on/2018/adopt-arescued-tiger-today.
FIVE majestic tigers owe Mirror readers their freedom.
Your generosity saved them from a brutal circus in Spain and has landed them in a caring home on the Isle of Wight.
Who’s first for their thank you handshake?