Tippi Hedren is mourning the loss of three big cats at her Shambala Preserve in California.
Liger Patrick, tigress Tamara and a serval called Sawyer all passed away this summer (11).The Birds star has paid an emotional tribute to 21-year-old Patrick, who died in May (11).
The striped lion "arrived" at Shambala in May, 1998, from the Deer Park roadside zoo in Illinois.
In a post on the preserve's website, she writes, "He became a bit of a therapist to me. I believe he enjoyed our sessions, be they quiet, just enjoying the time of day, staring at the moon in the middle of the night, or watching his playful running, which he did so often. We’d watch the trains go by, as well as aircraft...
"Patrick would get along with everyone he even liked the ravens and they liked him. He would sometimes chuff to a few of them sitting on a log. He never minded them stealing his meat!!!
"Talking about meat... he would eat 20 to 25, sometimes 30 lbs of meat a day!!! That would be to keep his weight of somewhere over 600 lbs up to par.
"As our friendship grew, he would see me thru (sic) the windows of my house, he'd call to me in that unique voice. I would go out to visit with him, sit in the wicker fan chair, loving the moonlight evenings, talk to him, he'd bring his face to the fence, I'd bring my forehead to his and tell him how much I would like to fluff his mane, and give him a great big hug, (which is absolutely against our policy.) He new the sound of my car, too, and would greet me at the corner of his habitat... Memories that will live in my mind forever."
The actress signs off, "My highly emotional time of mourning has turned into a time of really appreciating the beautiful life Patrick was given after he came to live at Shambala.
"These fourteen years have been a gift to this magnificent, enchanting being, as well as to us, because of the very real love and care from everyone at Shambala. Especially me, I just plain love you, Patrick."
Meanwhile, Tamara passed away on 20 June (11), aged 19, and Sawyer died eight days later.
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