Mona’s Passing

September 17, 2020

When an animal comes to call Carolina Tiger Rescue home, we never know exactly how long we will have with them. Sometimes we only have a few short months or years with them. Other times, we are grateful to have many years to watch them flourish and enjoy the good life. This week, after caring for her for many years, we had to say goodbye to Mona Tiger. Unfortunately her kidneys were no longer working properly and were impacting her health in multiple ways.  

Mona came to live at Carolina Tiger in 2008 with her enclosure mate, Moki. She lived to a very impressive age of 22 years old. In her 12 years at Carolina Tiger, we got to know a very confident and intelligent tiger. She was regularly the star of the show and would impress people with the many behaviors she had learned through operant conditioning. She was certainly the more domineering of the pair, often pushing Moki out of the way for treats, but not to worry. The keepers were aware of her ways and would shift them apart when good stuff came around.  

I know that many of you knew Mona from coming out on tours. She has been on the tour route since her arrival. Other than maybe being reluctant to leave a platform or perhaps a pool, she always loved to come up and greet guests. She was generous with her chuffles and had some of the most beautiful markings. Her image will live on in some of our most memorable pictures. We will of course keep a close eye on Moki and shower her with attention. Life will be different for all of us at Carolina Tiger Rescue.

Thank you for supporting us in giving wonderful animals like Mona a life long home.

With a heavy heart,

Kathryn Bertok Assistant Director