Severely neglected tiger euthanised

THE National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) made a heartbreaking decision after they were forced to euthanise a severely neglected tiger at a breeding facility in Klerksdorp, a site now linked to the illegal wildlife trade.

- WENDY DONDOLO

The tragic incident came to light when NSPCA inspectors responded to reports of a tiger that had sustained severe injuries in an attack by another tiger.

Upon returning to the facility to assess whether the injured animal had appropriate veterinary care, inspectors were confronted with a scene they described as “unimaginable suffering.”

“The wounded tiger had resorted to self-mutilation. She had gnawed, licked and scratched at her front paws to the extent that she had exposed her bones and tendons,” said the NSPCA spokesperson Jacques Peacock.

“Her nails had been entirely worn away - save for one - leaving raw, penetrating bone clearly visible.”