The National Tiger Sanctuary helps care for fifty big cats. On our campus in Bloomsdale, we have five sibling tigers: Vincent, Dee, Paul, TJ, and Max, two sisters: Sierra and Mariah, and our Mountain Lion: Banshee. They are animal ambassadors to help us become more aware of our environment. The tigers love public attention but are provided two to three days a week for rest.
Dee – the female of our original group. Like most female tigers, she is smaller than her male counterparts. Dee is very vocal, clean and dainty. She has a sense of humor and loves to pull pranks on her brothers.
Vincent – at more than 700 Ibs. is the biggest tiger at the NTS. He is very social and enjoys interacting with people. He especially loves anything that rolls and also has a very laid-back personality.
TJ – is a rare white tiger who has blue eyes and chocolate stripes that lighten in the sun. TJ loves water and is especially fond of his pool. He is, without a doubt, the dominant tiger of the family; he is self-centered and loves attention.
Max – is the gentlest tiger of the group, and he is especially fond of women. Max loves to play with tires of all sizes and lounge in the sun.
Paul – the smallest of the male tigers, Paul is quite the entertainer. He loves to roll over, jump, and roar.
Sierra – Sierra was rescued with her sister Mariah in August 2008. She is about 8yrs old and much smaller than our other tigers, weighing in at 268 pounds when she joined us. She is the dominant cat of the two and was very aggressive at first. Now that she is comfortable in her new home, she is very laid back and likes to tease the male tigers.
Mariah – Mariah, Sierra’s sister, is the smallest tiger at NTS at around 250 pounds. She was always the underdog and was very submissive at first. Now that she has more confidence, she tries to pick on the other tigers.
Banshee – Banshee is a mountain lion, also known as a cougar, puma, or panther among other things. She was a pet, and she joined the NTS family in January 2009 when her owner was killed in a car accident. Although she is only 80 pounds, she is the quickest and moodiest cat here. She does love rolling around on her back for visitors and playing with her bowling ball, but you may have to beg!