Max Tiger
Max’s Story
Max came to Carolina Tiger Rescue from Wild Animal Orphanage in San Antonio, Texas with ten other animals, including three lions and six other tigers. Wild Animal Orphanage was a rescue that became overwhelmed by the number of animals they had and did not have enough resources to care for them. Over 300 animals had to be re-homed when they shut down. With the help of Tigers in America, we were able to rescue ten animals, giving them a better and more secure life.
Max’s Passing
January 24, 2019
The animal care staff has been keeping a very close eye on Max Tiger for a number of weeks due to his difficulty walking and not being interested in food. Over the past few weeks, we have juggled different medications at different levels trying to keep him pain-free, walking steadily, and interested in food. We knew that we were looking at very limited time with him, but as with all of our animals, we wanted to make sure that he had a good quality of life. This week we decided that it was time to let Max go.
Max had such a following of volunteers, adoptive parents, and staff. He was one of our tigers that was certainly considered an old soul, but he was always happy to come up for a treat and would readily offer chuffles in return. Many of us greatly enjoyed spending time with him, especially since he was in a very peaceful area of the sanctuary. But don’t let the old soul fool you. He spent the last two years flirting with the new neighbors (we are looking at you, Mila and Riley). He could often be found at the end of his enclosure closest to the girls, watching their silly antics and enjoying their company.
All of the deaths are hard to take. It’s bruising to the soul. You wake up exhausted, no matter how much sleep you got the night before. But as a friend said yesterday, when the loss no longer affects you, it’s time to leave. Needless to say, we have all been affected by the loss of Max. He was such a presence for anyone who ventured off the tour path and, though there will be other tigers in that enclosure, there will never be another Max.
