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<\/p>\nThe wild cat was rescued with four other tigers from a roadside zoo in Butte County and is slowly settling into life in the East Bay. <\/p>\n
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Sitara, a tiger estimated to be around 13 years old, has become a permanent resident of the Oakland Zoo. She has a classic gold coat and black stripes.\u00a0(Courtesy of The Oakland Zoo)<\/p>\n
The tigers previously resided at the shuttered Barry R. Kirshner Wildlife Foundation in Butte County\u2019s Oroville, which came under a California Department of Fish and Wildlife investigation in 2024 and failed to get its permit renewed.<\/p>\n
According to animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which launched a lawsuit against Kirshner after the investigation, animals from the Oroville roadside zoo were shuffled to other facilities, including an unaccredited one in Rio Vista that agreed to surrender five cats.<\/p>\n
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A sedated female tiger is handled by staff at the Oakland Zoo. (Courtesy of The Oakland Zoo)<\/p>\n
The Oakland Zoo helped relocate two male tigers, an 11-year-old white-and-Bengal mix and a 13-year-old Siberian mix, to the Performing Animal Welfare Society, a San Andreas-based facility that specializes in caring for older and physically challenged animals.<\/p>\n
A 14-year-old female white tiger, who suffered from significant visual impairment due to inbreeding, was immediately treated at the Oakland Zoo before relocating to the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge in Arkansas.<\/p>\n
The fifth tiger, a 16-year-old female who came to the zoo with end-stage arthritis and spinal disease, was euthanized after she did not respond to treatment.<\/p>\n
Sitara, whose name has Hindi origins, meaning star, is still getting used to her new home, Minier said.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s exploratory and \u201chappy-go-lucky\u201d and loves to explore the zoo\u2019s pools, waterfall, grass and vegetation, but Minier said she can also get spooked easily and has issues trusting the care team.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething bangs, or there\u2019s an object that scares her, and there\u2019s a very obvious trauma response,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Throughout the 20 or so years Oakland Zoo has hosted rescued big cats, about a dozen have lived in its habitat.<\/p>\n
Minier said many of these animals had spent most of their previous lives in small, concrete enclosures and had to be taught about the natural world.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes they don\u2019t feel like dirt can support them because they\u2019ve always been on concrete,\u201d Minier said. \u201c[We have to teach them] that grass tickling their toes is okay. They\u2019ve never seen water flow outside of something other than a hose.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Oakland Zoo said it will post updates of Sitara\u2019s acclimation on social media and would be initiating a program designed \u201cto help her build trust and resilience.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Staff transport a new female tiger to the Oakland Zoo. (Courtesy of The Oakland Zoo)<\/p>\n
Sitara appears mostly healthy, apart from some lameness in her left hind leg, but she will also undergo a medical exam to identify any underlying conditions, according to the zoo.<\/p>\n
Minier said that while the Oakland Zoo remains committed to animal rescue and rehabilitation, it also hopes to raise awareness that helps bring an end to wildlife exploitation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe really are looking forward to a day where the U.S. has the regulations that don\u2019t allow for these exploitative and neglectful practices,\u201d he said. \u201cDon\u2019t pay to play with wildlife, and don\u2019t support businesses that profit from direct contact with wild animals. Ticket that\u2019s purchased for a cub petting session or posed wildlife photo creates the demand for more breeding and more exploitation.\u201d<\/p>\n