Photo by Tim Conyers.
Finalist in the 2022 Tigers in America-Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries annual photo and video contest to celebrate International Tiger Day.
Salem is one of the ten tigers and three cougars who all came from Van, Texas. All thirteen cats were re-homed as part of an agreement between In-Sync Exotics (ISE) and the Caruth C Byrd Wildlife Foundation (CCBWF) in Van, TX. CCBWF was changing their focus and “getting out of the caged animal business” according to a representative of the Foundation. After rehoming, Salem spent his first couple of weeks hanging out in his den and was very reluctant to come out and explore his new surroundings. However, he slowly learned to trust us and now happily lies on his back on top of his den, even when there is a crowd of visitors present. He really enjoys his playground, pool, and toys. So much so, in fact, that he regularly “steals” the toys from the playground and stashes them in his den!