Abused Circus Tiger From Peru Gets New Life In Florida
Abused Circus Tiger From Peru Gets New Life In Florida
April 23, 2016 4:48 PM
TAMPA (CBSMiami/AP) — A tiger rescued from a circus in Peru is heading to his new home at a sanctuary in Tampa.
Animal Defenders International seized Hoover last year to enforce Peru’s ban on wild animals in circuses. The animal rescue group says the cat was sick and emaciated and lived at a temporary rescue facility in Lima where he was rehabilitated for the past year.
He was flown into the Miami airport Friday night and taken to Big Cat Rescue Saturday.
The 12-year-old tiger will enjoy a very spacious enclosure with lots of shady trees and grass. He’ll also have access to a spring-fed lake for swimming. Hoover’s habitat also features a large platform, several dens and plenty of toys.
http://miami.cbslocal.com/2016/04/23/abused-circus-tiger-from-peru-gets-new-life-in-florida/
(Short article, no more at link.)
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Hoover health check
First time Hoover's paws touched grass
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Abused Circus Tiger Gets Fairy-Tale Ending
His name is Hoover, and this big cat is about to enjoy a new life in Florida.
By Laurel Neme
PUBLISHED April 21, 2016
Alongside crates of asparagus, Hoover the tiger will be airlifted Friday from Peru to Florida, where he’ll settle into a new home in Tampa after a lifetime of suffering.
Hoover has spent his entire nearly 12 years performing tricks with a traveling circus in Peru. His harrowing journey to a new life reads like a bestselling thriller. The plot line—Operation Spirit of Freedom—was conceived by Jan Creamer and Tim Philips, co-founders of Animal Defenders International (ADI), a U.K.-based organization dedicated to stopping animal abuse and saving animals in distress.
In 2012 after a two-year investigation and public campaign by ADI exposed animal abuse in Latin America’s circuses, Peru banned wild animal acts.
Enforcement of the ban meant confiscating large, dangerous animals, moving them to a holding facility and caring for them—and finding them new homes. Lacking experience in this kind of work, the Peruvian government enlisted the help of ADI, which launched Operation Spirit of Freedom.
More:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/04/160421-tiger-hoover-circus-rescue/
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Rescued circus tiger will get roaring welcome at Miami airport
Harriet Baskas, Special for USA TODAY 12:46 p.m. EDT April 22, 2016
Miami International Airport prides itself on being “America’s busiest port of entry for wild animals,” but airport staff and animal rescue supporters are especially excited about Friday evening’s arrival of a 353-pound Bengal tiger named Hoover.
The tiger, who turns 12 on Saturday, was rescued from abuse in a Peruvian circus and is on his way to an animal sanctuary near Tampa.
In 2011, Peru joined the growing list of countries that ban the use of wild animals in circuses. But, according to the animal rights group Animal Defenders International, Hoover wasn’t rescued until April 2015 because the circus that had him had gone underground in an effort to evade wildlife officials.
Once rescued, a sick and emaciated Hoover spent a year at ADI's temporary rescue near Lima and is now well enough to travel to a new permanent home at Big Cat Rescue in Tampa.
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“He will spend the rest of his life enjoying the warm breezes of Florida, relaxing in the shady grass, lounging on his platforms and cooling off in our lake,” said Big Cat Rescue founder Carole Baskin.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2016/04/22/rescued-circus-tiger-hoover-miami-airport/83379482/
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