Collection: Athena

Rescue Story: On December 7, 2009 Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge received an email from a man representing a facility formerly open to the public. The email explained how the facility had to part with 7 big cats, a black bear, and a coatimundi in order to be eligible to reopen to the public. Accessing the three tigers (Chuff, Abigail, and Athena) would be challenging, so the decision to anesthetize them and physically carry them to the rescue trailer was determined to be the safest for all involved. When they first came to the Refuge, Athena and her siblings were very aggressive and difficult to manage. With a lot of time and incredible effort from our team, they were able to settle down a bit.  They are still some of the more aggressive animals we have on the Refuge, but they are much more tolerant (probably because they now live a life of sanctuary rather than exploitation). 

More about Athena: Athena loves to quietly watch her neighbors and keepers work around her. She will also sneak in some play time with her toys when no one is watching!