A town council in southern Ontario has voted to remove two tigers, Jagger and Aspen, from a residential property because Zohaib Masoud has been keeping two one-year-old tigers in the Niagara region since last fall. Massoud rescued the tigers from owners in Ontario who kept them as pets but then became unable to manage them. The vote came after safety concerns were raised as the area is residential. Mayor Brian Grant said the government did not have the resources to deal with any unfortunate situation if a tiger escaped or a fire incident occurred. “Hopefully there won’t be a fire here and our fire department has to go out there to put out a fire or something like that and one of the animals is running away,” the mayor said. Massoud said he kept the tigers behind multiple layers of fences, some as high as 16 feet high. Several doors had to be opened before anyone could reach the enclosure, he said, adding that the tiger did not show any interest in escaping. Massoud said all the zoo’s guidelines were being followed, although the committee told him Monday was the last day to relocate the two tigers. Jagger and Aspen are hybrids of Bengal and Siberian tigers. According to the Winnipeg Sun, Jagger weighs about 300 pounds and Aspen weighs about 250 pounds. “They loved each other,” Massoud said. “They can’t be separated now.”“When you understand their behavior and what to do and what not to do, you kind of understand them,” he told the National Post. “They are strong animals, but we do understand their personalities and how to manipulate them.”Massoud said he wanted to create a private sanctuary for rescued exotic animals. He said he is working to find another place for the animals. Tiger Ashram is not open to the public and there is no profit involved. This is a self-funded project solely for the purpose of rescuing animals. Massoud also has a 4-month-old male white tiger cub named Atlas and a 10-month-old male spotted hyena named Marilyn at his Wainfleet estate. But last November, they were impounded by Ontario Animal Welfare Services because they were not receiving proper food, water or care. Massoud recently lost an effort to bring Atlas and Marilyn back.
