Dear Carolina Tiger Rescue Family,

I have great respect for all of the animals at Carolina Tiger Rescue, but there are some of our residents that seem to demand it. Sadly, we lost Reina Lion, who most definitely demanded respect from everyone who ever met her. A few weeks ago, Reina didn’t seem to feel well, enough that we made the decision to get her down and run blood work. Her blood work showed anemia, and we found a tooth infection. We began treating both issues, knowing that we would have to get down a second time to remove the infected tooth. That second procedure went well. Her anemia had improved, though still present, and we were able to get the tooth removed.

For over a week, we kept a very close eye on Reina. She was recovering slowly, but didn’t bounce back as we had hoped. We were able to get meds into her and have her eat some food, but not quite like normal. Sadly, after that first week, Reina began to show signs of not feeling well. It was harder to get meds and food into her. When she refused medications, we needed to get her down again to see what was causing her to not feel well. During her exam, we found that there was an infection in her jaw as well as indications of uncontrolled bleeding and fatty liver disease. Due the nature of working with wild animals, we knew that we were not going to be able to treat her issues effectively. When treating wild animals, we are often limited in what we can do medically because the cats have to be willing to participate. Given the state of things, we felt it was more kind to let her go.

Reina has always been an impressive lion. My first experience with her was her first day in our Quarantine building. Roman unloaded and looked around for a minute and then shifted to the back, seemingly uninterested in what was going on. When Reina unloaded, she walked along every perimeter wall of the enclosure, looking up and down, checking out her new territory. You knew she was the brains of the operation and took her job very seriously. Over the years, nothing really changed. From the outside, it may have seemed like Roman was in charge. He’s a big lion, with an amazing mane, but don’t let that fool you. Reina was always in charge, and I loved that about her.

Reina’s no-nonsense personality could be seen in almost everything she did. She wasn’t one to want a lot of human attention. She seemed most content to be with Roman, often lounging on their den box in the afternoon sun. She was pretty vocal when it came to dinner time, voicing her displeasure in how long it was taking to get served, but that was part of her charm.
All of the animals at Carolina Tiger are wild. We respect their wild nature and work to make their time with us as enjoyable as possible, but it’s also true that there are a few that really stand out as wild. Reina most assuredly was one of them. I have little doubt that Reina would have been a force to be reckoned with in the wild. She would have run a well-disciplined pride, expecting everyone to pull their weight, and raising fierce cubs. She would take no gruff from anyone and would be incredibly protective for all members of her pride. I’m honored to have spent the last 12 years getting to know this amazing animal.

I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to say goodbye to Reina. It is a humbling experience to grieve an animal as wild as Reina. It reminds me of the work yet to be done, both in the US and in the wild. I hope to honor Reina by continuing the fight to have all wild animals treated with respect.

With a heavy heart,

Kathryn Bertok, Assistant Director