Tiger Tsezar was exploited in a private club in Ukraine and used for intensive breeding. Living among his own faeces, he was left to die. Luckily he could be rescued by local activists.

The scared and shy Tsezar had a sad start to life, being exploited in a private club in Ukraine and on top of that, used for intensive breeding. Dehydrated, malnourished and lying in his own faeces, he was left to die.

Thanks to animal rights activists, Tsezar and another tiger, female Kleopatra, were confiscated and brought to Wild Animal Rescue near Kiev as a safe, but temporary solution. Unfortunately, Kleopatra died because of lung cancer.

In October 2021, FOUR PAWS managed to transfer Tsezar from Ukraine all the way to FELIDA Big Cat Sanctuary in the Netherlands. It was a long, exhausting journey in which the team had to undergo multiple time-consuming paperwork procedures. However, we are beyond proud how Tsezar has been holding up. Despite the many hours on the road, Tsezar was doing surprisingly well, being strong and alert. 

Of course, nothing made us feel better than finally watching Tsezar set foot into his new enclosure. The first 24 hours after his arrival, he really needed time to rest. He was exhausted and slept most of the time.

After that he started to relax a bit more. He explored his enclosure, started with some friendly 'chuffs' towards his animal caretakers. But above all, he discovered his new hammock which immediately seemed to get his approval. 

Tsezar had a rough start of his new life at FELIDA. The 13-year old tiger got a complete and detailed vet check in the beginning of 2022. A broken tooth was detected, which was removed successfully. Along with that, an ultrasound of his kidneys and heart were done and fortunately all was good. 

However as we already suspected, it turned out his chronic kidney disease is in quite an advanced stage. We are supporting Tsezar with medication to ensure he can still live a happy life. 

Chronic kidney disease is the most common renal disease for big cats. But what exactly is chronic kidney disease? And what can be done to support animals who are suffering from it? You can learn more about this topic here. 

It is with pain in our hearts to let you know that Tsezar, the beautifully striped giant and always friendly tiger, is no longer with us. 

In September 2024, the 14-year-old tiger had not been feeling like himself lately. We had adjusted his treatment plan but when the new medication did not improve his condition, the wildlife vets from Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research immediately came to our sanctuary to check him. Sadly, the blood test results revealed that his kidneys had continued to deteriorate and were no longer functioning. We know from chronic kidney disease that this condition is irreversible, and to spare him from further suffering, we had to provide the 14-year-old tiger with the last deed of good care and let him go.

We are going to miss his friendly ‘chuffs’ towards us in the morning and are grateful for how much we could do for Tsezar in the past years. Not only was he the only tiger currently at our sanctuary, he simply was one in a million. 

Rest in peace, Tsezar. You will be remembered by all of us.