Five exotic cats that spent decades at Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden at The Mirage in Las Vegas have come to live in a North Texas sanctuary.
The cats and other animals from the Secret Garden were moved due to the permanent closure of the facility in November 2022.
Three dolphins were relocated to Coral World Ocean Park’s Sea Sanctuary in the U.S. Virgin Islands in May, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
A statement sent to Mirage employees on July 3 said there was an “extensive search process” to find new homes for the cats.
To avoid media attention and protestors, the animals were moved prior to the announcement of their relocation. The relocations took place across two separate occasions within the past few months, according to Vital Vegas.
In-Sync Exotics wildlife center in Wylie will house five cats, while the rest will be sent to WildCat Ridge Sanctuary in Scotts Mills, Oregon.
Five tigers, two lions, two leopards, and a panther, a term often used for black jaguars or leopards, were divided up between the two sanctuaries, per Vital Vegas.
The 9-year-old white lions Madiba and Timba-Masai, 14-year-old black leopard Shadow, and 19-year-old spotted leopards Neruda and Ibasa will all be sent to In-Sync, WFAA reported.
According to the statement from Mirage to its team members, the company was “advised that both of these facilities are led by energetic and dedicated founders who are committed to the well-being of their animal families.”
Both sanctuaries have “deep experience in providing for the long-term care for exotic cats with their experienced animal care teams and excellent facilities that provide a peaceful home to a wide range of wildcats.”
Vicky Keahey, founder and executive director of In-Sync Exotics, said the sanctuary is “honored to have been selected to care for these amazing animals for the rest of their lives,” Fox 5 Vegas reported.
“We look forward to providing them the highest level of care with the utmost respect for their well-being that we pride ourselves in giving our 75 other exotic cats who live with us at In-Sync Exotics,” continued Keahey.
In-Sync Exotics offers scheduled 90-minute tours seven days a week. Guests are also welcome to visit the sanctuary at their own pace on Fridays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. or Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
