SANDSTONE, Minn. – A tiger at the Wildcat Sanctuary tested positive for Co-Vid but recovered. The tiger, a 21-year-old female Sumatran Bengal named Sabrina, showed symptoms in early January, the Sanctuary said. A private lab confirmed the disease and sent a specimen to the U.S. Agriculture Department for further examination. It is known that the infection can cross species, but it’s rare. The Minnesota Board of Animal Health said that the Sabrina’s case was only the second involving a captive or domestic animal. Since the outset of the pandemic, the Sanctuary said, its staff wears face masks, sanitizes hands, and maintains physical distance.
Sabrina’s story
Sabrina arrived at the sanctuary in 2010. She was 10. She had been found, along with her two sons, in the backyard of a rural Texas home. Ten days earlier, their owner had died apparently due to drugs. No one knew tigers were even there. Sabrina and her sons were surviving on their own in the blistering heat. They were severely dehydrated and malnourished. A local rescue group got them food and water. Her sons went to a sanctuary in Florida. A few days later Sabrina was en route to the Wildlife Sanctuary in Pine County, Minnesota. Over time she acclimated and relaxed. Today she enjoys shredding boxes, stalking in tall grass, and playing and rolling in the snow.
