Since the officials didn’t know anything about the tiger’s history, they wouldn’t be able to safely relinquish it back into the wild. They needed a specialized sanctuary, and so they turned to Black Beauty Ranch in Murchison, Texas.
The ranch sits on five acres and is naturally wooded. Its habitat mimics a natural environment so that the tiger could adjust to life outdoors. This tiger would be one of several hundred animals at the ranch.
His First Encounter With Grass
The tiger’s new caretakers fondly named him Tyson and began discovering his little quirks. One of the most exciting parts of watching the tiger was seeing the way he interacted with grass.
Dr. Mikaela Vetters reported that Tyson looked like he was “walking on hot sand” when he first got onto the grass. It was immediately apparent that he’d never been on grass before. Since the tiger was kept hidden, he had missed out on ordinary animal experiences.
Tigers Are Not Easy Pets
While tigers are legal in the state of Texas, Houston does not allow them as pets for many reasons. The most obvious reason that we’ve seen in this story is that not everyone knows how to take care of them.
When tigers are small, they can make wonderful pets just like a dog or a cat. As they grow larger, though, they become harder to take care of and need more specialized treatment that most of us aren’t prepared to give.
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