Alexander is a hybrid tiger about 3 years old and was found early in 2013 on a Kansas farm together with a number of other big cats without food or access to clean water. The owner of the animals had been an exotic animal breeder who lost his USDA license in 2011. It is possible that Alexander was a cub when brought to this location and that he has never known the feel of grass under his feet, enough food, or room to act like a tiger.
None of the animals’ ramshackle cages had been cleaned in a very long time. Neighbors said that they had seen the owner perhaps five times in the two months leading up to the rescue. Animals who starved to death were found in an open pit close to the cages.