Ginger, the white tiger whose illness updates drew prayers from over 500,000 Facebook followers, died June 27 at Shalom Wildlife Zoo in Washington County, the zoo said in a Facebook post.
Ginger had been sick for more than a week, according to Shalom’s daily posts. The cause of her death has not yet been publicly disclosed, and the zoo declined to answer questions about her care.
Shalom, formally registered as Shalom Wildlife Sanctuary LLC, is a family-run zoo on 100 acres in the town of Farmington. It operates under a federal license from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is not accredited by any major zoo or sanctuary group.
Shalom’s Facebook page regularly posts updates on its animals several times a day. Ginger in particular drew a devoted audience that tracked her pregnancies and watched her cubs grow up. News of her death drew thousands of comments from grieving fans.
On June 23, four days before she died, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel asked Shalom which veterinarians were treating Ginger and what diagnostic steps had been taken.
Co-owner David Fechter declined to answer, citing Wisconsin’s physician-patient privilege – a legal protection that applies to humans and does not extend to animals.
Ginger’s illness first surfaced in a Facebook post on June 18, when Fechter asked followers to pray for her because she “isn’t feeling well.” The next day, he said in a comment that she had a uterine infection that was being treated with medication.
In a June 20 update, Fechter said three veterinarians were involved in her care and told some commenters who questioned her treatment to “keep the negativity to yourself.”
“We are doing the best we can, and doing what needs to be done at this time,” the post said.
By June 21, Fechter wrote that the illness had “attacked her respiratory system.” He told followers he gave her an 80% chance of surviving.
“Right now we are focused on trying to save her and not spending that much time on figuring out what caused it,” the June 21 post said. “That comes later.”
On June 22, as some followers speculated online that Ginger’s illness could be the result of deliberate poisoning by opponents of white tiger breeding, Fechter dismissed the possibility as “highly unlikely,” citing security cameras and regular staff patrols. He said a full toxicology panel would be run if Ginger did not survive.
White tigers are the result of inbreeding, which leaves them prone to immune problems, spinal deformities, and shorter lifespans. Their breeding is opposed by conservation organizations like the World Wildlife Fund.
According to a June 23 update, lab results from a urine test had confirmed the antibiotics being used were correct.
Ginger appeared to rally by June 26. According to a Facebook post that day, she was moving around, her eyes were clear, and she had eaten a pound of pork loin the night before.
Fechter said the attending veterinarian was coordinating with two other clinics and what he described as the University of Wisconsin-Madison veterinary care facility.
She did not recover. According to Fechter’s June 27 post, her condition had worsened sharply that morning. He called the zoo’s veterinarian and let her four cubs into her den.
At 5:15 p.m., Ginger stood, walked into the holding area and out to the grass, Fechter wrote.
Shortly after, with her cubs and another Shalom tiger, Charlotte, watching, she laid her head down and stopped breathing.
“Ginger is now at peace playing with Nina, Khan, and Goliath in a place called Heaven,” Fechter wrote. “Thank you for all your prayers. God needed her more. Rest in Peace my pretty girl. I will miss you so much.”
Two of Ginger’s cubs, Khan and Nina, drowned in a partially frozen pond at the zoo in November 2022. The USDA cited Shalom for failing to protect the animals during unsafe weather conditions and issued an official warning.
Goliath, an adult tiger formerly in Shalom’s care, died in August 2022 after battling health issues.
Quinn Clark is a Public Investigator reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She can be reached at QClark@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Shalom’s white tiger Ginger died Saturday after days of illness
Reporting by Quinn Clark, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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By Quinn Clark, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
