Tomo the tiger retires to Safe Haven Wildlife Sanctuary
After departing the film industry in California, Tomo the tiger recently retired to the Safe Haven Wildlife Sanctuary, located in Imlay, NV, in Dec. of 2022. He has since been seen soaking up the amenities at the sanctuary and enjoying feeding time.
As one of only 14 accredited Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS) (and the only one in Nev.), Safe Haven Wildlife Sanctuary “provide[s] lifelong care to small wild felids, big cats and bears confiscated from illegal ownership or due to substandard conditions,” according to Lynda Sugasa, Executive Director at Safe Haven Wildlife Sanctuary.
“We often collaborate with national and international organizations with large scale seizures, to offer permanent homes. Our most recent placement is tiger Tomo, who was used in the film industry, until he was no longer trainable, which could become a dangerous situation to both the cat and the trainer. We were so pleased they chose Safe Haven for his “retirement” home,” said Sugagsa in an email.
Tomo is still adjusting to retirement, but has learned just how sweet life can be in a 10,000 square foot habitat. He has a heated den, a climbing and shade platform, and a 30 feet by 20 feet inground pool for swimming in the summer.
“[Tomo] was hesitant and not quite sure about going into his new heated den [when he arrived]. Staff spent many early evenings strategically placing a raw chicken roaster in the back of the den with the heat on, to encourage him to venture in—which he finally did, but then decided it was too scary and came racing out. Finally after a week of daily roasters, Tomo spent the night in his den and has ever since…He is a very shy boy, but has slowly come around to enjoying his new home,” said Sugasa.
Tomo arrived just in time, as Safe Haven is gearing up for their 16th Annual Safe Haven Wildlife Sanctuary Fundraiser, which will take place on Saturday, May 13.
“Our annual events contribute directly to the care of our residents, especially with food and veterinary costs. Safe Haven constructs all of the animal habitats to reduce overall costs as much as possible. We have a lot of habitat building to start this spring and always encourage those interested in volunteering to contact us,” said Sugasa.
Sugasa explained that all of the money raised from the annual fundraisers has gone towards making significant improvements to the facilities for animals, interns, guests, and volunteers.
“In the last two years, we have added additional infrastructure including an outdoor restroom building, gift shop, onsite housing for our intern program, veterinary hospital, and most recently, our new 40’x100’ temperature controlled building that will provide emergency housing for our large animals in the event of extreme temperatures and heavy wildfire smoke,” explained Sugasa.
This year’s event will be hosted at the sanctuary, with tented seating limited to 200 people, so make sure to reserve seats and tables as soon as possible in order to be a part of the celebratory activities. There will also be a silent auction, with generously donated items.
“We encourage all of our supporters and those interested in our mission of rescue and care to join us and learn more about how we care for these magnificent animals,” said Sugasa.
To book a tour of the sanctuary or to volunteer, visit Safe Haven’s website, safehavenwildlife.com. To make reservations or donate to the annual fundraiser, call: (775) 538-7095 or email: safehavenwildlife1@gmail.com.