It’s unclear how Aasha came up in such a bad situation, but she was critically unwell when Vicky Keahey, founder of Texas’ In-Sync Exotics Wildlife Rescue and Educational Center, discovered her. She weighed barely more than 30 pounds, which should have been the weight of a three-month-old cub, but she was over nine years old.
Vicky was very concerned about Aasha’s deteriorating state and wanted to find out what had happened to her. She told The Dodo, “I inquired how a 9-month-old tiger could be that little.”
The sad tiger cub turned out to be a member of a touring circus. She wasn’t permitted to eat since she was held in a cage with a larger animal. She also had a skin ailment known as ringworm, which was exacerbated by her lack of basic treatment. As a result, Vicky made the decision to abduct Aasha and care for her. According to the Dodo, she was brought to a separate enclosure at In-Sync Exotics.
“Aasha’s bald spots covered almost her entire body and her skin was dry [with] cracked, darken areas and bleeding,” Vicky said. “Every day, twice a day, I would go in and give Aasha medications and spend time with her. I knew I was going to have to handle her in order to get her well.”
And after only a few weeks of proper treatment, the things never looked better for the wild kitten. “After eight weeks of treatments you could see little bits of fuzz growing back to [what once] bald spots,” the kind-hearted Vicky said.
Aasha, on the other hand, needed over eight months to fully heal. “She looked like a true tiger in eight months, and it was time to test how she would behave to other tigers,” Vicky added. And she’s completely unrecognizable right now!
