The tigers at WFFT were rescued from the cruel wildlife tourism trade and tiger farming industry. The majority were kept in barren concrete cages for their entire lives. Many others suffered decades of emotional and physical abuse to force them to perform and pose for tourist photos. Although these tigers could never be released to the wild, they now have a second chance at happiness.

As Asia’s biggest big cat and tiger centre by an NGO, we offer sanctuary to more than 20 tigers who were rescued from a lifetime of captivity in either the wildlife tourism trade or tiger farming industry. 

While all of our tigers have a history of suffering severe emotional and physical abuse, our Tiger Rescue Centre now gives them a chance to live a wonderful new life at WFFT. 

Our seventeen acres of forested land offer near-natural surroundings where the tigers can run around, claw and scratch trees, and swim in the huge lake. It is likely that this is the first time that these tigers have ever felt grass beneath their paws. 

These rescued tigers are completely reliant on animal lovers like you to get the food and expert care they rely on for survival. Can you please give a donation towards their essential care?

Let’s meet some of the rescued tigers of WFFT:

Name: Rambo 
Sex: M
Species: Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)
Birthdate: Unknown
Rescued: 7/6/2022
Rescue Age: >19 years (est.)
History: Rescued from Phuket Zoo along with 10 other tigers. He is blind in his right eye.
Characteristics: After spending nearly two decades living in a cage, half-blind Rambo is now a keen swimmer. When he first arrived at the Tiger Rescue Centre, he was raring to explore his new home and quickly discovered the lake, which he swam in for five hours on his first day outside. Swim free, Rambo! 

Name: Susu
Sex: F
Species: Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)
Birthdate: Unknown
Rescued: 26/4/2022
Rescue Age: 15 years (est.)
History: Rescued from Phuket Zoo along with 10 other tigers. Her birth location is not known.
Characteristics: In archive footage taken at Phuket Zoo, Susu can be seen pacing frantically in circles while kept on a very short chain – this was her life every day for 15 years. Now, she roams free in her near-natural habitat, where she loves to simply lay on the grass in the sun.

Name: Mee Mee
Sex: F
Species: Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)
Birthdate: 17/4/2020
Rescued: 26/4/2022
Rescue Age: 2 years
History: Rescued from Phuket Zoo along with 10 other tigers. She was born at Phuket Zoo. Her mother is Mena, rescued from the same zoo.
Characteristics: Our youngster Mee Mee is full of energy! Whilst some of the older tigers took some time before they ventured out to explore their new surroundings, Mee Mee – just two years old – couldn’t wait to go out and play. She spends a lot of time swimming in the water, and loves to spend time with her playmate Maruay.  

Name: Maruay
Sex: M
Species: Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)
Birthdate: Unknown
Rescued: 26/4/2022
Rescue Age: 2 years (est.)
History: Rescued from Phuket Zoo along with 10 other tigers. Born at Phuket Zoo. His mother is Baithong, rescued from the same zoo.
Characteristics: Another youngster, playful Maruay is always exploring. He’s really inquisitive of humans – so he’s always the first to come over and say “hi” to the tour guides and his feeders. Maruay enjoys a regular supply of coconuts – not to eat, but to play with!

Name: Baithong
Sex: F
Species: Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)
Birthdate: 14/7/2010
Rescued: 10/5/2022
Rescue Age: 12 years
History: Rescued from Phuket Zoo along with 10 other tigers. She was born at a zoo in Bangkok. She is Maruay’s mother.
Characteristics: Beautiful Baithong is happy doing her own thing, which for her means relaxing in the grass for most of the day! She does get up when there are wild birds nearby though, as Baithong will ‘stalk’ and follow them, like tigers would do in the wild. After having spent so long kept in concrete cages, it’s wonderful to see how these tigers have retained natural behaviours

Name: Mena
Sex: F
Species: Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)
Birthdate: 14/7/2010
Rescued: 10/5/2022
Rescue Age: 12 years
History: Rescued from Phuket Zoo along with 10 other tigers. She was born at a zoo in Bangkok. She is Mee Mee’s mother.
Characteristics: When we rescued Mena, her body condition wasn’t good and big patches of her fur were missing. This may explain why she was quite nervous of her new surroundings at first, and preferred to stay in the night enclosure, rather than roam the acres of forested land. After over a month, Mena finally made the decision to explore, and it was magical to see her claw a tree for the first time in her life. Now she stays outside all day, where she loves to spend time with her best friend Baithong.

Name: Mukda
Sex: F
Species: Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)
Birthdate: Unknown
Rescued: 10/5/2022
Rescue Age: 19 years (est.)
History: Rescued from Phuket Zoo along with 10 other tigers. Her birth location is not known.
Characteristics: The history of our older Mukda is a bit of a mystery, though it’s fairly certain she has only ever known concrete cages. She was very aggressive at first – which is how we realised that she has a breathing problem, as there is a raspiness to her voice when she growls. After settling into her new near-natural habitat (a big change from a small concrete zoo), her health has significantly improved and she is now very, very friendly and will be happy outside all day until feeding time.

Name: Pong
Sex: M
Species: Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)
Birthdate: 2/10/2018
Rescued: 7/6/2022
Rescue Age: <4 years
History: Rescued from Phuket Zoo along with 10 other tigers. Pong was born at a safari zoo in Koh Samui. He shares the same father as Pang.
Characteristics: Though they were a little unsure of each other at first, half-brothers Pong and Pang are now best buddies. They have quite different personalities, as Pong is very relaxed, and prefers to stay cool in the shade and rest.

Name: Pang
Sex: M
Species: Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)
Birthdate: 22/10/2018
Rescued: 7/6/2022
Rescue Age: <4 years
History: Rescued from Phuket Zoo along with 10 other tigers. Pang was born at a safari zoo in Koh Samui. He shares the same father as Pong.
Characteristics: It’s true brotherly love for half-brothers Pang and Pong. They get along so well, despite being quite different! Pang is really feisty, and enjoys being outside and roaming around. He loves playing and discovering through his enrichments, like coconut ‘toys’ and scratching trees.