Courtesy of the Wildcat Sanctuary
Dash, Tiger Cub
The Wildcat Sanctuary in Sandstone welcomed five new additions in the fall, including newborn tiger cub, Dash. Surrendered by a breeding facility in Indiana, Dash, along with his parents, Marcus and Winona, and two geriatric lions, Wally and Marlene, have found a new forever home where they can live the rest of their lives “wild at heart.”
After being used for breeding and selling cubs at a private facility, the big cats were given up to the sanctuary, where they would receive a lifetime of care. Founder and Executive Director Tammy Thies recounted the experience and the difficult conditions under which her team found the cats.
“We were really surprised to see how difficult the terrain was to get to these animals, meaning our trailers couldn't get up there. They had scrap metal and vehicles piled high on the 25 acres. There were several hundred dogs in kennels, birds in kennels. When we got to the very back of the property we saw two lions in about a 20 by 30 concrete pen, and two tigers in about a 15 by 20 pen.”
During sedation, the team discovered that the female tiger had just given birth to a cub three hours prior. The surprise delivery presented the sanctuary with their youngest-ever big cat arrival: Dash. Now eight weeks old and weighing 27 pounds, the cub has been receiving around-the-clock care from Thies, under strict quarantine as his immunity is still developing. The quickly-growing cub has been hitting all of his milestones with his stuffed animals, toys, and Tammy to keep him company.
The (little) big cat’s discovery was all the more surprising given that his mother, Winona, had just given birth to another cub months before. Thies says, “The sad part is nobody expected her to be pregnant because we were told she just had a cub about five or six months earlier that they sold. And in the wild, tigers would only breed every two to two and a half years, but in captivity, as soon as they pulled the cub to sell it, mom goes back into estrus or heat to reproduce. And so the cycle of breeding just continues again.”
Thies underlines that this unnatural cycle of breeding in captivity is unhealthy for a tiger like Winona, who will now be able to rest and won’t have to endure more cubs being taken from her, thanks to the sanctuary. As for the other cats, Marcus is feeling more comfortable after some much-needed dental work while Wally and Marlene are settling into their new space, with each cat enjoying larger habitats and space to let their wild hearts roam.
The sanctuary provides a lifetime natural environment for animals that cannot be released into the wild, with a space to run, climb, and play, in addition to a temperature-controlled indoor area during Minnesota winters. Paired with their own kind, the sanctuary’s goal is to give these animals the stimulation they need without the pressure of breeding, as each animal is spayed and neutered to prevent the ongoing cycle of wild animals in captivity.
On top of lions and tigers, the sanctuary also provides a home for cougars, leopards, bobcats, lynx, caracals, servals, and hybrid domestic cats. While the sanctuary does not open itself to the public for visitation, people can still get involved through volunteering, internship, and sponsorship programs. For further updates on Dash, follow along with the Daily with Dash Facebook group or online at wildcatsanctuary.org.
Courtesy of the Wildcat Sanctuary
