BY PHILLIP PINA
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The Texans who rescued four abandoned Bengal tigers knew Cincinnatians had a special fondness for the big cats. But they were surprised when residents put their money where their hearts are.
The Texas Exotic Feline Foundation (TEFF) has raised the $100,000 it needs to build a new home for the rescued big cats. The tigers were found aboard a ship, abandoned after they couldn't be sold. They had been confined to a circus trailer for months.
When news of the tigers' plight hit last week in Cincinnati, home of the Bengals football team and a rare zoo collection of Bengal tigers, residents reached deep into their pockets to help, TEFF spokeswoman Kristen Kauffman said.
Donations for the cats trickled in from Texas and across the country, but Cincinnati's generosity stood out, she said.
TEFF Director Richard Gilbreth said donations from the Cincinnati area are still pouring in, but he estimates about $5,000 had come in by Tuesday.
"It's times like these you find out who your friends are," Mr. Gilbreth said. "We definitely have some good friends in Cincinnati." Several Texas charitable foundations donated about two-thirds of the money, including about $10,000 from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
But individual donations this past weekend, boosted by those from Cincinnati, pushed TEFF above its goal, Ms. Kauffman said. Those Cincinnati-area donations include checks for $500 and even $1,000, Mr. Gilbreth said.
The tigers, brought ashore last month, were in poor health and confined to an 8-by-16-foot trailer. They had been abandoned by a defunct Spanish circus.
On Friday, they were put in a temporary, 1,000-square-foot habitat at the TEFF shelter near Fort Worth. A permanent 10,000-square-foot home should be completed for the tigers in about 90 days, and will include a pool, stream, trees and plenty of grass.
The TEFF shelter is home to 69 big cats, including lions and leopards, that had been abandoned, abused or confiscated.
