Animals

Meet Sheila

Sheila and the tiger she was rescued with, Suki, are known as “Charlie’s Angels” because these two female Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris) were named after the cofounder of Noah’s Ark, Charlie Hedgecoth.  At 6 years old, Sheila was surrendered to Noah’s Ark in 2009 from the owner of a roadside circus due to the public’s outrage of the condition in which the cats were being kept.  Sheila was hauled across the country in a small trailer with a metal baking dish bolted to the floor for water and a bench to escape the cold floor of the trailer.  When she was released into her spacious natural habitat at Noah’s Ark, Sheila was too frightened to exit the trailer because the feeling of grass beneath her paws was a new sensation.  After a few hours, she leapt out of the trailer and never looked back.  She now shares a natural habitat with her life long friend Suki, complete with multiple dens and climbing structures, a pool, and plenty of toys. Sheila is larger than Suki and her stripes are not as numerous or dense.  She was born in 2003 and walks with a permanent limp due to her stressful and abusive past as a performing cat.  She is noble, majestic, and is usually lounging under a shade tree enjoying her retirement. Although their personalities are different, Sheila and Suki are very bonded and love to play together, chasing each other across their habitat while leaping onto and off of their dens to pounce on one another. They also prefer to share one den, especially during the chilly winter months, even though there are three dens in their habitat.  There is no doubt in our minds that the abusive past life they shared deeply bonded these girls, helping them cope while living in such an unnatural environment.