Tonka is a male Bengal tiger who arrived at the sanctuary in 2014. He was twelve years old at the time and had spent his entire life in a small, hard-surfaced cage at a wedding event center. He and his brother Zombo were used as a draw for booking parties and events.
When US Fish & Game declared his 30’ x 40’ cage non-compliant, his owner was given 90 days to upgrade it. He’d already given Tonka’s brother Zombo away to another facility, since the brothers had become too aggressive with each other. Sadly, Zombo died not too long afterward there.
Now, he decided he’d surrender Tonka also. Tonka had been painfully 4-paw declawed and suffered from muscle atrophy in his hind end. He’d been 150 pounds overweight. All this made it very difficult for Tonka to run, climb or walk distances.
Life at the Sanctuary
When Tonka emerged into the habitat we’d built for his special needs, he literally danced on the soft bedding we’d laid out for him to walk on. And, with the help of a pain management program and a good diet, he was finally able to run, to climb his highest perch, to splash in his pool and to nap the day away in his favorite hammock.
He’s a totally different tiger today!
He’d been terribly overweight before coming to us. Now that he’s at a “normal” weight, it’s helped tremendously with his mobility, too. He’s one of our bigger tigers and you can always pick him out due to the unique shape of his head. He’s such a sweet tiger and we’re thrilled he made it to his forever home here at the sanctuary. He lives every day to the fullest.
How You Can Help
Our sponsor program is what makes top notch care possible for our residents like Tonka. He’d love to have you as his sponsor parent! Or even a one-time donation toward his care would help so much, too. You’ll find buttons at the top of this page if you’d like to help Tonka in a very special way. Thank you!
Rescuing cats in crisis is hard. It’s hard to see them crippled from a declaw, being confined to a tiny cage.
lounge on soft grass. But his most favorite thing was his inground pool. That made Tonka happy. He loved to lay in the water on the edge and just watch neighbor Pandora.
