Born
September 26, 2018
Rescued
May 19, 2021
Died
December 30, 2025
Shailah’s Story
Shailah is one of four big cats Carolina Tiger rescued from “Tiger King Park” in Thackerville, Oklahoma early summer of 2021. In total, 68 cats were rescued from this facility after it was shut down due to numerous Endangered Species Act violations. Due to the nature of the court case, we were unable to speak about them for a while. Once the case settled, we became Shailah’s forever home and she was very happy living on the tour route.
Shailah had the goofiest personality! She was always greeting volunteers and keepers with a chuffle. She loved to chase any vultures who dared to land in her enclosure. She was also a massive fan of pawcasso enrichment. She loved to roll around and lick the non-toxic tempera paints, and lay in the sun with her tummy out when she was in need of a nap. There’s not much that got this tiger riled up. She was pretty laid back and always ready for a nap.
Shailah’s Passing
January 10, 2026
We had to say goodbye to another big personality here at Carolina Tiger Rescue this past week with the passing of Shailah Tiger.
Shailah was a white tiger, and one of the health effects that she suffered from as a result was a seizure condition. Since we found out she had this condition upon her arrival in 2021, we gave her anti-seizure medication. Just like in humans, this medication does not prevent seizures from happening but instead lessens the frequency of them. We noticed an increase in her seizures this summer and did a physical to get a better look at her. We confirmed that there was a sizeable mass in her ear, which could have played a part in her imbalance. We removed the mass, and afterwards Shailah was her normal, chuffly, goofy self. We monitored her since, and up until this week she had been acting and eating normally. When the keepers saw her in the morning, she was eager to eat and took meds without issue. When the keepers went down for afternoon meds that night, she was in a different state. She had slowed down quite a bit, was extra stumbly, and had a very hard time getting around. Our keepers and vet decided to give her overnight to see if the new meds were helping, but the next morning it was clear the right thing to do was to humanely let her go.
Shailah has been a big personality here in the sanctuary since her arrival in 2021 from the well-known “Tiger King Park” in Thackerville, Oklahoma. Shailah was on tour and would come up to visitors and engage with enrichment of all shapes and sizes. She was well known as the “rainbow tiger,” as she would roll and lick the tempura paint from pawcassos and turn her coat rainbow for the next few days. Shailah had a signature deep chuff and was excited no matter the visitor. Shailah was very food motivated and was quick to come investigate if there was potential for food to be involved. Shailah was also an expert vulture hunter, despite what the keepers would have liked, even with her stumbly footing, reminding everyone that she was a wild animal through and through. Shailah left a big mark on the hearts of our staff, volunteers, and visitors, and her presence in the sanctuary will be greatly missed.
Part of what we do here at Carolina Tiger Rescue is give them the best possible care for the remainder of their lives, and sometimes true care is deciding when it is time to say goodbye.
With a heavy heart,
Kathryn Bertok
Assistant Director