Hurricane Ike Tiger Finds New Home
October 9th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
You may remember last month that Crystal Beach resident, Michael Ray Kujawa, spent a grueling night during the worst part of Hurricane Ike in a Baptist church with his 11-year old pet lioness “Shackles.” Well, he also left behind a 7-year old female tiger that nearly drowned in her enclosure.
The tiger managed to tread water for four days until it could be rescued by former Jefferson County Judge Carl Griffith, a local veterinarian Dr. Sarah Matak and some Texas game wardens. According to Matak, who tranquilized the tiger, the animal was not running loose on the Bolivar Peninsula as reported in an Associated Press story. The rescuers transported the female tiger to a temporary refuge in Somerville, Texas.
The good news is that the tiger will now have a permanent home at the International Exotic Animal Sanctuary in north Texas. The sanctuary, profiled in last month’s Observer story “A Tiger’s Tale” is one of the only accredited facilities in Texas that cares for abandoned and neglected big cats.
“It is truly amazing that she survived,” says Richard Gilbreth, director of the sanctuary. He says the tiger will arrive at the sanctuary tonight and be quarantined until she receives a clean bill of health.
Gilbreth said he received a call from the USDA asking if he could take the tiger. “The former owner has nothing left to take care of the tiger,” he says. The lion that spent the night in the Baptist church still resides at the temporary shelter in Somerville.
After Gilbreth received the call from the USDA, he reached out to Tony Stewart, a two-time NASCAR champion for help. The Tony Stewart Foundation generously supports animal and child welfare organizations, Gilbreth says.
Stewart has pledged $5,000 so far to build a new enclosure for the tiger. Stewart also named the tiger “Zippy” in honor of his crew chief Greg Zipadelli. To find out more about Zippy or the International Exotic Animal Sanctuary, go to www.bigcats.org.
