- Obese tiger weighing 31.5 kilos rescued from cage in Vietnam after police raid
- Police noticed that the tiger was having difficulty getting up due to its weight.
A chubby tiger weighing 31.5kg has been put on a strict diet after being rescued from a small cage in Vietnam.
The real-life ‘Tiger Who Came to Tea’ was found by police during a raid on a wildlife trafficking group.
After arresting the suspects, Vietnamese police went to check several animals locked in cages.
They noticed a chubby tiger who apparently had difficulty standing up.
Realizing that the animal needed specialized help, police contacted members of the Ninh Binh Bear Sanctuary in Ninh Binh, Vietnam.
The group operates in cooperation with the international animal welfare organization Four Paws.
The overweight tiger was found by Vietnamese police during a raid on a wildlife trafficking group.
Police realized that the stocky tiger, which was crammed into a small cage, was having difficulty standing due to its weight, and contacted an animal sanctuary.
Officials were stunned to learn that the tiger weighed 31.5 kilos, but volunteers who treated the big cat said they had put the animal on a strict diet.
A team of veterinarians drove more than six hours to Phu Tho province in Vietnam, where police found the tiger on May 11.
Officials were stunned to learn that the big cat weighed around 31.5 kilos. Tigers typically weigh between 10 and 26 stone.
On the long journey back to Ninh Binh, veterinarians had to stop periodically to check on the tiger and give it water due to the scorching temperatures.
The volunteers will now put the tiger on a strict diet so that it can lose its excess weight.
A spokesperson for the refuge said: “Illegal tiger trafficking persists, driven by demand for glue for tiger bones, body parts for traditional medicines and ornamental purposes.
‘This endangers the survival of the species and causes severe suffering to these magnificent creatures.
‘We are committed to fighting this cruel trade, advocating for the protection and well-being of tigers.
“According to the Forest Protection Department, around 388 tigers are found in zoos, safaris and on private property.”
This is just one of the latest discoveries of wild animals in captivity for trafficking in Asia. In December, a starving tiger reduced to skin and bones was rescued from a Thai breeding farm.
Emaciated tigress Salamas was found struggling to stand or walk after losing so much weight inside a cage in a run-down facility in Mukdahan, northern Thailand.
Heartbreaking images show Salamas with patches of hair missing from her skeletal frame as she lies exhausted and emaciated on the dirty cement.
Emaciated tigress Salamas was found struggling to stand or walk after losing so much weight inside a cage in a run-down facility in Mukdahan, northern Thailand, in December.
Heartbreaking images show Salamas with patches of hair missing from her skeletal frame as she lies exhausted and emaciated on the dirty concrete.
Salamas is among 53 tigers and leopards who were rescued from the breeding farm facing bankruptcy and prosecution for alleged illegal wildlife trade by veterinarians and experts from the Friends of Wildlife Foundation of Thailand (WFFT). .
Salamas was among 53 tigers and leopards who were rescued from the breeding farm that was facing bankruptcy and prosecution for alleged illegal wildlife trade by veterinarians and experts from the Friends of Wildlife Foundation of Thailand (WFFT).
The other animals rescued included a shy tigress named ‘A-1’ and a 20-year-old male tiger named ‘Rambo’, who was suffering from respiratory problems.
The animals were confined in narrow, dirty enclosures throughout their lives.
Officials said 35 tigers and 18 leopards in total were rescued from the farm.
Twelve elderly tigers and three sick leopards were the first to be saved. They were sedated and underwent health checks before being loaded into cages into wildlife ambulances.
The rest (another 23 tigers and 15 leopards) will be eliminated in the coming days.