Photo by Aaron D. Brinker.
Finalist in the 2020 Tigers in America-Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries annual photo and video contest to celebrate International Tiger Day.
Mama Shakira was one of the most intensively bred females at a tiger mill in Colorado before being rescued and relocated to Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge in Arkansas. As a ‘pure white’ tiger her cubs were guaranteed ‘money cats’ so she was bred 3 times a year. In the wild, a wild tiger mother has cubs every 2–3 years so she can raise them to be self-sufficient. Shakira was used in the Dirk Arthur magic show in Las Vegas where she was four-paw declawed and had her canine teeth filed down to make her more safe on stage.