Bangles

Bangles

Panthera tigris - TIGER

Bangles is a hybrid, Siberian tiger /Bengal tiger cross. Bangles was born in 1982.

Bangles and Simba, his life long room mate until she passed away in 2003 (Simba was an African Lioness).

They were once part of a traveling animal show where the animals were abused as part of the act.

When we rescued these cats there were 3 Leopards plus Bangles and Simba,

living in five separate cells in a “Circus” trailer. They arrived thin, sick and riddled with parasites.

These cats had been living in their own waste for over a year.

Lions and Tigers will breed in captivity. Their offspring are called Ligers or Tigons

depending on which is the male. Bangles & Simba were both altered to prevent this from occurring.

When the cats arrived, we noticed that Bangles had a particular behavior.

He would chuffle and act friendly to get you to come near. Then he would roar in your ear,

but he would also cower afterwards as if he had been beat.

So when he would roar, we would give him a food reward.

He learned to do the “Pirate Alphabet” for treats.

Pirates have a 4-letter alphabet, “A”, “I”, “O”, and “R”.

Simba observed this reward process and began roaring on command also.

The Curator and the Director still work with Bangles as he sees them as “Mom & Dad”.

Bangles now lives alone since his beloved, Simba, passed away of inoperable cancer.

She was 23 years old and one of the oldest lioness in the zoo system.

(Normal life expectancy for a Lion in the wild is 10 years.)

Bangles still has his neighbors and Ceylon, the tigress next door.

He likes to flirt with her on a regular basis.