Meow, was, by all means, a gorgeous tiger. He was also charmingly kind and sweet and was known to enjoy a good scratch on the belly from his cartakers. 

But, of course, Meow-- the special tiger-- had a special kind of story too.

 Meow was, in fact, the inspiration for opening the wildlife sanctuary in Thailand that I worked at. When the founder of the camp first met Meow, the sweet little kitty was living at a gas station. 

 To earn some extra cash the owner had kept Meow-- from kitten to adult-- out front of his shop to attract tourists and other purchasers of his goods. But since the owner was a gas station owner-- not a zoologist-- Meow's diet was lacking to say the least. If I remember correctly, this beautiful beast was subsisting largely on table scraps for the better part of his life. 

 By the time he was found by Edwin, the camp founder, Meow couldn't walk, he couldn't roar... in fact, Meow could hardly move and was close to death. Years of malnutrition had resulted in severe neurological damage and muscle loss. Horrified, Edwin negotiated to purchase Meow and took him home. Years of rehabilitation have helped-- now Meow can walk, growl, roar, and enjoy a good scratch on his belly in between meals. But the brain damage Meow suffered earlier in life has resulted in an awkward gait. Meow can't walk in a straight line or really, without stumbling. And while this is clearly progress, from his previous situation, Meow's story is a reminder that wild animals shouldn't be kept as pets by people who don't know how to care for them. 

In fact, people at the camp would say Meow is an example of how you can't have sustainable animal tourism. Just like the angry monkeys housed elsewhere in the camp that were abused. Just like the old elephant Kjota with the glass eye or Pailin with the bad back. 

But sustainable animal tourism is a topic I'd like to explore-- because if you can't have sustainable animal tourism... what exactly did I pay to go to Thailand for?