Nala

NALA  Female Siberian/Bengal Tiger

DOB 6/1/95

Nala, India’s sister, is perhaps the perfect tiger. She is beautifully proportioned and, though petite, she is everything you would expect a tiger to be. On November 29, 2004, she was officially retired from her years of performing as a traveling circus tiger. She arrived, along with three others, and was the last one unloaded late in the day as darkness descended. By the next day, she was lounging in the long grass as if she hadn't a care in the world. At only nine years old, Nala was the youngest in the group of retirees.
After a few days of settling in, the circus veterinarian came to check out the tigers. She reported that they had all really warmed up since retiring. These cats were known as the benchwarmers, the second string, and had not had as much interaction or enrichment in their lives as the cats who were the most reliable performers. Perhaps, because of that, their keepers thought that these cats were not as sociable as others in the show. How wrong they were! The circus keepers missed these cats and came back on their vacation for a visit. They were amazed to see how happy and content and people friendly these tigers had become. The night they came to Big Cat Rescue, the trainer who had worked with these cats for the last 14 years had tears in his eyes because he was so happy that they now had pools and would be living like kings. Nala now shares her days in a cat-a-tat on the lake next to her sister India. While we know that even life at Big Cat Rescue is not what these majestic creatures truly deserve, we are happy that we are able to provide them with an enriching environment.