Born
June 26, 2009
Rescued
June 26, 2012
Died
December 19, 2025
Roman’s Story
Roman came to Carolina Tiger Rescue along with his enclosure-mate, Reina, from a failing rescue in Ohio. This sanctuary, Rescue One, was on the verge of closing due to lack of funding and new legislation the state of Ohio put into place after an incident in Zanesville, Ohio in 2011. In Zanesville, a private owner released 56 of his lions, tigers, cougars, wolves, leopards, and bears before committing suicide. Unfortunately, law enforcement was forced to shoot the animals due to concerns for public safety. The following year, Ohio banned private ownership of dangerous wild animals. The owner of Rescue One decided to close on her own and contacted Carolina Tiger Rescue to take some of her animals.
Roman was a very stoic lion. He spent most of his time sleeping, and he particularly enjoyed laying on top of his den box. Mealtime was a different story though. Roman loved food and was not quiet about it. He was quick to tell you if you were taking too long with his food and he never had great manners with a treat stick. Roman spent most of his life with Reina Lion. She was his brains and his courage and they could often be found lounging together.
Roman’s Passing
January 10, 2026
On Friday, December 19, we said goodbye to Roman Lion. Over the last year, our team successfully managed his age-related arthritis and his delicate digestive system. Unfortunately, the last few months have been increasingly challenging for his body. At the beginning of his final week, he began not acting like himself. He didn’t want to eat much, occasionally seemed a bit confused, and became lethargic. We decided to sedate him for a full veterinary workup, and sadly, the findings were not promising. He was dehydrated, his blood pressure was high, he had fluid buildup around his heart, and onsite bloodwork indicated chronic inflammation or cancer.
Working with wild animals often limits our testing and treatment options, as we cannot regularly handle them, and the risk of anesthesia is even greater for older animals like Roman. After much consideration, we focused our efforts on helping him feel better when he woke up, therefore setting him up for as much success as possible. That meant hydrating him and giving him injectable medication to increase his chances of wanting to take meds the next morning, with the plan of starting him on blood pressure meds to treat the hypertension. He reluctantly took meds the following day, but we were not so lucky the day after, and the decision was made to give him a peaceful passing.
This handsome 16-year-old male arrived at Carolina Tiger Rescue in the summer of 2012 at the spry age of two. He was one of six animals we rescued from a facility in Ohio and was the final of that group to pass. Over the years, we watched his mane darken, his confidence grow, and his wild intensity never waver. Roman will always be remembered for his pointed opinions and for never hesitating to roar at a team member or tour group if they were too close or behaving in a way he disapproved of. Many thousands of people have had the privilege of hearing him and the other lions oof as their calls echoed through the sanctuary. And for the first time in 15 years, the sanctuary is a much quieter place without lions. We miss listening to him serenade us as we arrive for work each morning and head home every afternoon. His tall platforms look empty without him surveying his territory from up high, and the hills within his enclosure are dormant without him and his former enclosure-mate, Reina, chasing each other or sprawled out in the sun.
We know that many of you love him as well, and we ask that you join us in remembering his spirit.
With a heavy heart,
Kathryn Bertok
Assistant Director