An inspiring story --- A young female Bengali tiger gets a new lease on life!

Aasha is a Bengal tiger that before being rescued was owned by several traveling circuses. She was only nine months old when she had been captured to be trained and she would have died if Lady Luck had not intervened.

In fact, during a circus camp inspection, some inspectors became aware of the condition of the poor animal; she was emaciated, barely moving, and losing her fur in abundance. She weighed only 13 kg (28 lbs), a weight three times less than it should have been for a tiger of her age.

The inspectors put her under the care of Vicky Keahey, the founder of an association dedicated to the rehabilitation of wild animals. An immediate intervention was necessary because Aasha's life was seriously in danger.

via In-Sync Exotics

The woman was sure that the psychological trauma that Aasha had suffered was not the only thing plaguing the tiger. There was something else that continued to make the tiger sick.

After some analysis, it was discovered that the young tiger was suffering from a severe form of skin infection.

Handling a sick tiger is not easy! The skin dressings were painful, and the animal reacted instinctively becoming aggressive.

Only after some months did Aasha begin to show some improvement. She also learned to love the water as opposed to when she had been forced to take a bath to keep her wounds clean.

After 8 months of hospitalization, Aasha started to look like a real tiger again! However, it remained to be seen how she would react to being in contact with other tigers like herself.

Previously, the owners of the traveling circus had put Aasha together with an adult female tiger that had bullied her. However, in contrast to expectations, Aasha demonstrated that she was sociable, especially with Smuggler, a male specimen.

Smuggler was many years older than Aasha, but between the two there was immediate chemistry!

After a while, the two also started sharing the same tiger pen, so they could spend more time together.

Aasha and Smuggler have never been separate from the day they met. They live in symbiosis, in love with each other.

It has been four years since that day. Now they are two beautiful Bengal tigers.

Aasha's size continues to be smaller but it is exciting to see them together. Smuggler, the male, always keeps her close to him, as if to protect her.

Now Aasha is not anything like the malnourished and neglected tiger that she was when she was brought to the wild animal shelter.

Now nothing is missing from her life, neither the love of one of her own kind nor the love of the people who work at the animal shelter.

Her eyes are full of determination and satisfaction as if to say to the people who had exploited her, that she, with her inner strength, has survived.

Aasha can now enjoy the beauty of life!

Here is a video shot in 2011 where we see Aasha and Smuggler as they play together ...Beautiful!