Tiger who was born and raised in a zoo gets rscued and taken to a sanctuary, where he finally feels safe, and finds out that his favorite toy is a giant red ball: 'He was so happy, having so much fun'

Rescued big cats can still have amazing, fulfilling lives, even when being released into the wild is not an option. 

Releasing a rescued big cat back into the wild is always the goal. It's the thing that we hope for the most. We hope that the majestic creature we rescued will come out the other end stronger, healthier, and still weary enough of humans to be able to go back into the wild and thrive. Unfortunately, that doesn't always happen. Sometimes, these cats are too sick. Other times, they're too close to humans. And sometimes, they simply never learned how to live in the wild, so they can't. 

We've seen it before - these situations where big cats can't be released on their own for fear of their safety. And what we have learned from these situations is that this does not mean that they cannot live happy, fulfilling lives. They just need to find new joys, a new purpose. We have seen a rescued bobcat who was dropped on its head as a kitten find out that his favorite toy is fennel and live his best life getting fennel as a gift from all his fans. We've seen lion born with a rare disorder befriend a dachshund, becoming so close to him that even when the lion was older, his caretakers decided that separating the two will do more harm than good. We have seen a bobcat become the best foster momma to other bobcats, finding new purpose in life in helping them get back into the wild. 

The options are there, if only we look for them. And for the tiger in this video - one who was born in a zoo and grew up there, who could not be released into the wild simply because he never learned how to survive on his own - his joy was found in little things. Having space outside of a cage to run around, pools to jump into, friends to play with, toys to enjoy… that's all he needed. But his favorite thing to do, by far, is to chill in one of the pools, holding a giant red ball, and floating. The good life. He's found it, and he is making the very best out of each and every moment of it.