This 'Sanctuary' Kept a Tiger Caged in a Basement

Between March and May 2017, an eyewitness volunteered at a facility called Summer Wind Farms Sanctuary in Brown City, Michigan. But this place is not a sanctuary. It’s a roadside zoo. If it were a true sanctuary, it wouldn’t have been cited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for over 200 animal-welfare violations in just three years.

Daisy the Tiger Lived Caged All Alone in a Basement

In 2016, when Daisy was just 6 months old, USDA inspectors found her in a basement in a small cage. She’s 2 years old now and, according to the USDA, has repeatedly been denied proper shelter and veterinary care, even though she suffers from a condition that causes her to stumble and fall.

Three months later, inspectors found that she had been moved to an indoor kennel where dogs lived and barked nonstop. It smelled so strongly of urine that it made the USDA inspector’s eyes water.

Four months after that, Daisy began having balance issues and was unsteady when she walked. Inspectors noted that her condition continued to deteriorate over the next six weeks. She was thinner, her coat was once again dull, and she was stumbling and nearly fell over.

Daisy suffered from a condition that caused her to stumble, fall, and have impaired vision and, reportedly, seizures.

Summer Wind’s owners acknowledged that they couldn’t afford the veterinary care that Daisy needed. But instead of accepting PETA’s offer to help place the animals in reputable sanctuaries, they considered sending her to the Exotic Feline Rescue Center (EFRC) in Indiana, which has been cited by the USDA for so many animal-welfare violations that its license was suspended earlier this year. Summer Wind has already sent three tigers there.

Mohan, an Elderly Tiger, Suffered at Summer Wind

A geriatric tiger named Mohan suffered from what the owners said was arthritis and walked with a severely labored gait. Summer Wind’s owners apparently failed to give Mohan pain medication to reduce his suffering. One stated, “There’s not a whole lot you can do about arthritis.” The other said that there is medicine for arthritis “if they need it,” but Mohan received only “vitamins” and a “rub.”

Just two years earlier, the USDA had cited Summer Wind twice within two days for failing to provide Mohan with enough bedding, even though the temperature was expected to drop below zero. The year before that, Mohan and several other tigers were left with nothing to drink when their water froze.

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