Bali was born in NJ in 1999 and relocated to a Texas sanctuary in 2003 along with 23 other tigers. When the Texas sanctuary went bankrupt, Bali was rescued and relocated to Carolina Tiger Rescue along with two other tigers and three lions.
Bali is very reserved and according to his keeper in Texas:
Bali, more than any of the cats, taught me a valuable lesson about patience and understanding and I miss his sweet personality. When he first came to us, he was probably one of the most aggressive in behavior, but at the same time, he was so shy. If we had given him an enclosed box, I think he would have spent every minute of the day hidden inside.
Every day, when we fed or cleaned, I would talk to him, hoping that he would stop seeing me as a threat. But, every day, he would charge and let me know that he just wanted to be left alone. For several weeks, this happened. And then, one day, he did the usual thing where he would stare at me, as I put his meat in the cage. Every muscle in his body was tense and this usually led up to him springing at me with a roar.
And then, this magical day, Bali stared at me…and chuffed. I just stood there. What just happened? I was so excited, I couldn’t remember how to chuff! Thankfully, my memory lapse was very brief. I chuffed and then Bali chuffed, again. From that point on, I am happy to say, he never charged again. He always greeted me and he became such a lovable bug that sometimes, I forgot that he was ever so afraid. He loved long conversations, filled with chuffs and tiger-groans. It helped me to realize that ‘aggressive’ tigers are often just scared tigers, who need a little extra help to feel safe.
At 600 lbs. Bali is one of the largest tigers at Carolina Tiger Rescue with a quiet dignity that is very powerful and affecting.