Hoover is a 12-year-old tiger who spent most of his life being forced to perform for a circus. His caregivers did not treat him well, and he spent the majority of his time in a small cage. With signs of depression in his eyes, it was clear to onlookers that Hoover was miserable and unhealthy.
Concerned for his safety, a witness decided to report his living conditions to the Animal Defense International, which is a group dedicated to helping mistreated animals, but finding and assisting Hoover was not an easy task. The circus in which he was held captive was always on the move, making it difficult to track.
After several months had gone by, the ADI was finally able to locate Hoover, and they quickly attempted to load the neglected tiger onto one of their transport vehicles. It took several minutes for the rescuers to get the tiger to leave his cage. But once on the truck, he was quickly put under the care of a veterinarian so that he could be nursed back to health before being released into the wild. At that point, the experts were not sure how Hoover would respond when he experienced freedom for the first time in his life.
After all that time behind bars, the time had come for Hoover to leave the confines of captivity and take his first steps as a tiger that was not owned by anyone. As the caged open, he slowly started to look around, trying to understand his new environment. Filled with cautious optimism, Hoover began taking his first steps and felt grass beneath his paws for the first time.
It was easy to tell that something was different now; his depression vanished in an instant, and a sense of happiness and hope came over him. He began exploring the world around him so that he could comprehend it. After he had started to understand that he was free, he took a relaxing swim in the river. Hoover was ready to embrace the freedom that had eluded him for far too long.