Tiger
Born on March 12, 2013 at Ponce de Leon, Florida
Arrived at Mission: Wolf on April 16, 2013
Passed away on January 21, 2022
Sex Male
Lived with Rosie-Valkyrie
Tiger’s Story
Tiger, and his sister Rosie Valkyrie (Rosie), were born in captivity at a private wolf sanctuary in Florida. With help from Mission: Wolf staff, the two infants were bottle fed as they traveled across the U.S. and arrived at the sanctuary at the very young age of four weeks. The two pups quickly adapted to their new Rocky Mountain environment and were ready to explore the fresh snow after just a few days.
When the pups were old enough, we introduced them to our Ambassador pack (Abe, Magpie and Zeab), and they were quickly taken into the fold. Abe became their firm but fair father, Magpie turned into their doting, worrying mother, and Zeab embraced the role of fun uncle who happily put up with their antics.
In the fall of 2014, Abe, Magpie, and Zeab left the refuge to tour the East Coast for our traveling program. Tiger and sister Rosie were left behind to hold down the fort. Without the adults, the two became shy again around strange people, but were still willing to work at it. Tiger took the lead as the bravest of the two, while Rosie still held reservations about the whole Ambassador thing.
Shortly after the adults came back from tour, Tiger and Rosie were given their own enclosure. Tiger is the larger of the two, with a relaxed, go-with-the-flow personality. He acts as a great point of stability for his flighty sister, and for young Saurya, who was introduced to the siblings in November 2017.
In his latter years Tiger was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder called discoid lupus. It caused flaking of the skin on his nose, quickly noticed by our Animal Caretaker. With the care of staff and prescribed medication, he was able to live a full life here at the refuge, until he passed due to cancer on January 21, 2022. Tiger was a beautiful example of innocence, connectivity, and sensitivity that staff and visitors will always remember.