MURCHISON, Texas — Close to a year ago, a group of people went into an abandoned house to smoke marijuana and discovered a tiger in poor conditions. That tiger was picked up and moved to Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch in Murchison.
Authorities named the Tiger “Tyson” when they found him in reference to the move “The Hangover.” Black Beauty Ranch director Noelle Almrud says ranch staff decided he deserved a name that was not meant to be a joke and elected to ask their Facebook followers what they thought.
“Tyson is not really an appropriate name. It was more of a joke," Almrud said. "After we had full legal ownership of Loki, we asked our care staff to come up with four different names that they thought were appropriate for him. And then we did a poll for our members and our supporters so that they actually got to choose his name and Loki was the favorite out of all of them."
Almrud says when Loki arrived at Black Beauty Ranch, it took him some time to adjust to having so much space all to himself.
“Loki arrived about a year ago, and he arrived in a shipping crate or transport crate that he would have been kept in for some time based on the appearance of the bedding. He was a little overweight. He was extremely timid, extremely fearful," Almrud remembered. "And he acted like he had no idea what grass was when we let him out into his habitat. He was very tentative about taking steps on grass and it was it was kind of sad to see him like that."
Over time, Loki has gotten used to his surroundings. Enjoying the spacious enclosure and engaging habitat, he has been given at the Black Beauty Ranch.
“He's turned into a very playful cat. He's young, he's only three to four years old so he's acts like any other young cat," Almrud said. "He likes to play, likes to run and jump and climb."
Loki’s former owner was keeping him as a pet, something that is still legal in the state of Texas, although it is illegal in the Houston area where he was found. Almrud says she would like to see legislation changed so no one can own big cats like Loki.
“Loki should have never had to come here. He should not have been in the exotic pet trade," Almrud said. "We need to pass laws in this state, as many other states have done, that ban this outright so that this story doesn't keep happening."
Black Beauty Ranch gained full custody of Loki shortly after he was brought to them for his care. They hope he will have a long and happy life at the ranch, as they got him when he was young.
“Tigers in captivity can live into their early 20's. It really just depends on their background. We see a lot of cats that have had horrific starts in life," Almrud said. "They haven't been fed a proper diet, or they've been neglected and so that can alter their lifespan. But since we've got Loki so young, we hope that he's going to live another 15 to 20 years here at Black Beauty Ranch."
Black Beauty Ranch is not open to the public on a daily basis but you can find information on their monthly tours to see Loki and the other animals living at the ranch. That information is on their website.