A few troubled circus tigers will spend their remaining years in the Tampa area. The three tigers, 3-year-old Kimba, and two 9-years-old tigers named Max and Simba, are on their way to Big Cat Rescue in Citrus Park because of a Guatemalan animal abuse law passed in 2017.
The law, which banned the use of any animals in circuses, helped Los Angeles-based Animal Defenders International (ADI) remove the cats from their previous home at Circo Hermanos Ponce in Guatemala, and move them to Tampa.
However, getting the tigers to Florida wasn’t that easy. According to a blog post from Big Cat Rescue, which claims to be “one of the the largest accredited sanctuaries in the world," what was supposed to be a simple exchange soon became a chase.
From Big Cat Rescue:
“The tigers were supposed to be turned over to authorities, but instead the Ponce circus, and others, went on the run. “On Oct. 29, 2018 we heard the Ponce circus tigers were still starving and we asked ADI if they were able to find them. By November 11, 2018 ADI was able to announce that they got the last 6 tigers out of the Ponce circus. The big cats were transferred to a temporary rescue camp that Big Cat Rescue helped fund and the laborious process of obtaining export and import permits began.In all ADI rescued six lions and 15 tigers from the rogue circuses.”
Big Cat Rescue was founded in 1992 and is currently home to over 80 lions, tigers, bobcats and cougars that were saved from abusive conditions, like being turned into fur coats or performing acts.
You can actually visit Kimba, Max and Simba! Tours of the sanctuary start at $27 for children under 5, and $37 for adults.
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This article appears in Nov 21-28, 2019.