Aasha is a Bengal tiger who had suffered horrific abuse throughout her entire life. At nine months of age, Aasha weighed only 30 pounds, which is the typical weight of a three month-old cub.
Making matters worse, patches of Aasha’s fur had fallen out and parts of her skin were cracked and bleeding.
After hearing about Aasha, a United States Department of Agriculture inspector approached Vicky Keahey, founder of Texas’s In-Sync Exotics Wildlife Rescue and Educational Centre. The inspector asked Keahey if her center could take custody of Aasha and help her.
“I asked how could a 9-month-old tiger be that small?” she recalled asking in response.
The inspector explained that Aasha had belonged to a traveling circus and was housed with a bigger tiger that would relentlessly assault her.
Keahey immediately knew she had to help Aasha, and after inspecting her, she diagnosed her with ringworm.
“Aasha’s bald spots covered almost her entire body, and her skin was dry [with] cracked, darkened areas and bleeding,” Keahey 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.”
Aasha’s treatment for ringworm involved taking medicated baths, which she initially hated with a passion. However, as she recovered, she started having fun with the baths as she splashed around.
As Aasha started to act like a normal tiger again, Keahey’s team decided to see how she would react to being around another tiger. They introduced her to a bigger tiger named Smuggler, and he immediately fell head-over-tail in love with Aasha.
Though rescue workers could see Smuggler loved Aasha, they decided to supervise their initial dating period to ensure that he would not hurt her. It didn’t take long for the two lovebirds to move into the same pen together!
Four years later, Smuggler and Aasha are still living together and are still madly in love!
We’re so happy to see that Aasha has finally found the happy life she deserves. Her journey from being abused to finding love can serve as an inspiration to all of us!
Find out more about Aasha’a story in the video below, and SHARE this story if it touches your heart!
