Today we are celebrating Mama Shakira’s 14th birthday! Her given name is Shakira II, and in honor of her remarkable rescue and recovery, we would like to revisit her story. Mama Shakira’s story can be disturbing to some readers. As we review her story, please know that we do not intend to make anyone upset. This retelling of true events is a part of much-needed advocacy for big cats, and public awareness is what helps to drive change. Mama Shakira is a rare “pure white” tiger, meaning her stripes are so faint that from a distance, it appears as if she has no stripes at all. In illegal markets, this coloration makes Shakira worth a lot of money and thus, very vulnerable to exploitation.
Used in Cub-petting
Mama Shakira’s original birthplace is unknown, but we know that she was likely used in a cub-petting operation. People would pay to interact with Shakira as a baby, and as heart-warming as that sounds, the reality is heart-breaking. These developing animals are passed from paying customer to paying customer 8 hours a day, 7 days a week. This constant interaction with humans deprives them from much-needed sleep, and they are often purposefully malnourished to be kept smaller for longer.
This culminates in a chronic illness called Metabolic Bone Disease. Their growing bodies need calcium to grow, but without it, their bones become very fragile and often fracture as they are handled. Because the owners of these facilities view their animals as nothing more than money makers, they rarely see veterinary attention, and these broken bones go undetected. Cubs that are exploited in interactive programming, often do not survive it. Shakira aged out of the program with a lasting case of metabolic bone disease. Though, like many other victims of cub-petting, she was sold to another exploiter.
Used in Magic Shows
Shakira was taken advantage of next by a Las Vegas magic show. She was forced to perform up to 8 times a week, and when she wasn’t in a loud theater, she lived in a small cage. Because of this trauma, Mama Shakira is still fearful of small spaces. At this time in her life, she was also declawed on all four paws. The intention behind declawing is to make dangerous animals safer to be around. However, this procedure did not make Shakira any less dangerous, it only brought her pain and suffering.
To remove a cat’s claws requires the amputation of bone, taking off the tips of each toe. Naturally, cats carry their weight on their toes. After being declawed, walking becomes excruciating, and they are forced to walk flat-footed. Over time, this unnatural way of walking causes the animal to experience joint pain and can lead to arthritis. Today, at TCWR, Mama Shakira receives pain management medications everyday just to keep her comfortable.
Used for Speed-breeding
Before the age of three, Shakira found herself in a Colorado breeding facility sharing a filthy and cramped enclosure with male white tiger named Bosco. Shakira’s body was used as a cub-making machine to supply the cub-petting industry. Within two years, she had given birth to at least seven cubs across four litters. Tigers in the wild typically have four litters of cubs throughout their entire lifetime. This process of speed-breeding was incredibly difficult on her body and her mental state. Although giving birth to many babies, Shakira never got the opportunity to be a mother. In order to breed her quickly, every time Shakira had a litter, her previous owners would immediately take her cubs away. Consequently, this would trick Mama Shakira’s body into believing the cubs had passed, and she would go into her estrus cycle again.
Mama’s Cubs
In the fall of 2016, Mama Shakira was pregnant with what would be her last litter of cubs. Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge took over the Colorado facility and four days after coming onto the property, Mama Shakira gave birth to two female white tigers – Tanya and Kizmin. Because of her previous abuse, Mama Shakira had been stripped of her maternal instincts, and she had almost immediately rejected her cubs. For their safety, Tanya and Kizmin were removed from Mama’s enclosure and raised by TCWR staff.
Over the next six months, TCWR staff tirelessly gave veterinary services, nutritional aid, and proper enclosure care to the 115 animals living on the Colorado property. All the while, rescue teams from all over the United States were coming to Colorado one by one, rescuing animals off the premises and taking them to better homes. In the end, all 115 animals were rescued with the collaborative effort from Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge and fourteen other sanctuaries. Thirty four of these animals found their forever homes at TCWR. Among these animals were Mama Shakira, Bosco, and their seven cubs Snowball, Aurora, Peyton, Rocklyn, Blackfire, Tanya, and Kizmin.
Life at TCWR
Soon, Mama Shakira and Bosco were introduced to a spacious habitat dotted with shade trees on a grassy hillside. Upon arrival, Mama was very stressed and showed a lot of aggression. At five years old, she had suffered so much abuse associated with new humans, travelling, and small spaces. The staff at TCWR understood her temperament and scheduled habitat maintenance around her needs, giving her space when she asked for it. She was fed a proper diet, and received medications to relieve her pain. Over time, Mama began to trust the TCWR staff and found comfort in her new habitat. Bosco accompanied her in sanctuary until his passing in early 2024. Today, Mama Shakira spends her days in the shade of her habitat. She loves her wooden platform, and often admires her territory from the bottom of the hill, gazing upward.
BCPSA’s Impact
Mama’s story is as impactful as it is tragic. Unfortunately, we know all too well that Mama is not the only tiger to face such atrocities. So many cubs and adult big cats have been victims of the cub-petting and entertainment industries. Thankfully, in the United States, federal protections for big cats are increasing. In 2022, the Big Cat Public Safety Act was passed in the United States. This federal law made cub-petting programs and private big cat breeding operations illegal. However, illegal operations are still out there, and big cats are still being exploited.
As we celebrate Mama Shakira’s 14th birthday, we thank her for her resilience, and we honor her by continuing to rescue and advocate for exotic cats from similar beginnings. We thank you, the reader, for joining us in celebration. We are endlessly grateful for your support. Taking the time to read her story truly helps us in our efforts to raise awareness. You can continue to support animals like Mama and her cubs by sharing this story, making a donation through our website, or visiting Mama Shakira yourself at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge.
Sources
https://aldf.org/issue/declawing-cats/
https://tigersinamerica.org/whitetiger/#:~:text=White%20tigers%20became%20their%20signature,(no%20stripes)%20at%20%24100%2C000.
*Published by Mack Polk on 10/11/2025*