Tiger Finally Tastes Freedom After Living Chained Up For Years In A Zoo
Can you ever imagine not being able to go outside? Having to be stuck, chained within the same four walls forever?
While we would deem such a life inhumane and cruel, that’s sadly what many animals have to face at the hands of man.
Many animals who live such tragic lives never get the chance to break free. But luckily, one tiger named Susu got the opportunity to taste some much-deserved freedom.
According to The Dodo, the beautiful big cat spent her whole life chained up at the now defunct, privately-owned Phuket Zoo. But now, she is getting her first taste of freedom as she was moved to a sanctuary located in Phetchaburi, Thailand.
The sanctuary is run by the Wildlife Friends Foundation, and they were able to capture the moment that Susu first set foot on the ground as a free cat.
The big cat was so shocked at first and unsure of what to do, but she quickly figured out that she was a tiger and could flex her big cat muscles. She then went about doing tiger things like hiding in the tall grass and then scratching up a tree.
The sanctuary shared with The Dodo, “For an animal who has probably never walked on grass before, she took to her new, wild space like a duck to water. This is what it is all about for us! Trying to give rescued animals a new lease of life, no matter how old, or their background.”
Susu was rescued back in 2022 when the sanctuary did a big rescue of other tigers, as well as bears, and other animals in the months of May and June. In fact, this was the biggest rescue of tigers in the history of Thailand. The rescued animals were living in horrific conditions, and they were forced to perform daily for tourists.
The sanctuary added, “Archive footage of the zoo shows the tigers pacing frantically in circles while kept on very short chains, so that tourists could pose with them for photos. When not being forced to interact with tourists, the tigers were held in barren concrete cages…”
The sanctuary has made it its mission to educate the public about tigers, as well as help boost their numbers. They also aim to rescue as many animals as possible and give them a better life.
They said, “That’s why we’ve opened the Tiger Rescue Centre at WFFT, where we can rescue and rehabilitate captive tigers, and offer a forever home to those who cannot safely be returned to the wild. As Asia’s biggest tiger sanctuary run by an NGO, the tigers can live freely in over seventeen acres of near-natural habitat. The centre also helps our work to raise awareness of wildlife conservation and animal exploitation.”
Watch the video below:
What do you think of this big cat’s taste of freedom? Let us know!
