Freedom for queen of the jungle after life behind bars: Starving tiger, reduced to skin and bones, is among 53 giant cats who ‘feel grass on their paws for the first time’ after rescue from Thai breeding farm

A starving tiger reduced to skin and bones is among 53 big cats who will ‘feel grass on their paws for the first time’ after being rescued from a Thai breeding farm.

The emaciated female tiger Salamas found it difficult to stand or walk after losing so much weight in a cage in a dilapidated facility in Mukdahan, northern Thailand.

Harrowing photos show Salamas with chunks of fur missing from her skeleton as she lies exhausted and emaciated on the dirty concrete.

Salamas is one of 53 tigers and leopards rescued from breeding who faced bankruptcy and prosecution for alleged illegal wildlife trade by veterinarians and experts from the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT).

The big cats, who have spent their lives in captivity, will now enjoy ‘sunlight and grass’ for the first time in a vast forest reserve some 880 kilometers away in the south of the country.

When the experts found Salamas, she was so weak she could barely walk and they decided not to sedate her for fear that she would not wake up from the anesthesia due to her poor health.

With chunks of fur missing from her skeleton, Salamas eventually mustered enough energy to stagger into a waiting transport cage after being lured in with food.

WFFT founder Edwin Wiek said: ‘It was feared she was too weak to walk, but she eventually gathered her strength and hobbled to the cage.

‘She could then be taken to the specialist wildlife ambulance that made the twelve-hour overnight journey to the nature rescue reserve.

‘Although she is alarmingly thin and has large chunks of fur missing from her body, rescuers are hopeful that Salamas will now begin to recover.’

The other rescued animals included a timid female tiger named ‘A-1’ and a male tiger named ‘Rambo’, 20 years old, who had breathing problems.

The animals were locked up in cramped and dirty enclosures their entire lives.

Officials said a total of 35 tigers and 18 leopards will be rescued from the farm, with the first 15 chosen based on urgent medical needs.

Twelve elderly tigers and three sick leopards were the first to be rescued. They were anesthetized and underwent health checks before being loaded into cages into wildlife ambulances.

The rest – another 23 tigers and 15 leopards – will be removed in the coming days.

Wiek said: ‘This was an incredible save. It is the largest of all NGOs in Thailand. The tigers, leopards and other animals will finally see freedom for the first time in their lives.

‘They experience direct sunlight and the feeling of grass on their feet. They get the freedom that every animal deserves.’

The reserve, located in the Phetchaburi province in the south of the country, is a special Tiger Rescue Center spread over more than seventeen hectares of almost natural habitat.

Edwin Wiek added: ‘After months of planning the largest tiger rescue by an NGO in Thailand’s history, we are pleased to finally be able to give these beautiful animals a new life at the WFFT Tiger Rescue Centre.

‘Unfortunately they will never be able to return to the wild, but we can offer them the next best thing: a safe haven where they can roam through forested areas, socialize with other tigers and even swim in the lake.

“We are grateful to the Thai government’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNP) for taking action against the illegal wildlife trade and for working with WFFT to give these tigers the second chance they deserve.

“The first twelve tigers and three leopards have been rescued, but there are many more still at the farm waiting to be rescued.

“We would like to return as soon as possible to rescue them, but as an NGO without government funding, we rely solely on donations to make these rescue missions a reality.”

The infamous tiger farm has been the subject of long-running legal disputes with government conservationists.

Local media have reported that the facility has faced numerous government inspections, including one in 2020 when the Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation (DNP) found evidence of alleged illegal wildlife trade, such as a severed tiger head and other parts of the tiger.

The farm is located in the north of Thailand, close to the border with communist Laos. The area, which lies on the Mekong River and has several unofficial piers, is considered a hub for illegal wildlife transport.

WFFT said there are an estimated 1,700 tigers in captivity in Thailand.

Many of them are said to have been bred on tiger farms to be bred and shipped to neighboring countries as exotic pets. Their body parts – including eyes, bones and whiskers – are also used in controversial traditional Chinese medicine.