Jakey was somewhat of a miracle baby.  CARE had spayed, neutered, or separated all big cats that could produce offspring.  Therefore on April 1, 2006 when sounds of newborn tiger cubs resonated through the sanctuary, we thought someone was playing an April fools joke.  To our surprise, the sounds were coming from Alley and Archie’s enclosure (two tigers we had gotten custody of a couple of months before).  Although Archie had been neutered soon after custody, we had been too late.   

Four baby tigers.  What a nightmare for the CARE staff who were overwhelmed already!  It was a staggering thought knowing that the commitment of a possible 20 years (times 4) now awaited us.  We all tried to make the best of the situation. 

There was one baby in particular that stole our hearts away; just by the way he looked.  He was a runt- less than one day old.  He weighed 1 ½ pounds, but it was obvious his deep dark stripes and deep orange color made him special.  He was a twin of Jake, the CARE mascot.  They looked so much alike.  Knowing Jake’s lifelong nightmare was about to come to an end (see Jake’s story under “In Loving Memory”) we named the little one Jakey.   

Jakey (aka Baby Jake) is now nearly grown.  He now carries on Jake’s mission.  Jakey is now the living mascot of CARE.  He is blessed with the spirit of our Jake but has developed a personality of his own.  Jakey will be waiting anytime you want to share love.  He is bright and energetic, and as you can see by his pictures, he is no longer a runt. 

Please come and share CARE with Jakey.  He is available for adoption and sponsorship.