Tributes to
Shine
Please contribute by sending pictures of
yourself and Shine...
pic: Sunette
JV and Shine
From the moment I met the three of you as
cubs, my life changed forever. I had no idea of the impact a
little tiger could make in the world. I was awarded the
great privilege of being appointed your guardian, and spent
almost every single day of your life with you for the first
fifteen months. It was an experience that I cannot compare
with anything else in my life.
They say that all things
come into your life for a reason. At first I thought that I
had been brought into your life to help you learn, and to
help you grow into the magnificent tiger you turned out to
be. Looking back now I realise that in fact, you were
brought into my life, in all that time I spent with you, you
brought an unexpected peace into the world. You were able to
still my heart when everything else in the world was
drowning me out.
In your short life you gave
so much, and took so little back in return. If I had known
then, the way my life would change just by knowing you, I
would’ve hugged you more each day, and said “thank you”
until you were sick with the sound of my voice. I still
think about you 20 times a day, and each time I have to
steady myself as the memory of you brings a flood of tears
to my eyes, my heart stops for a few seconds, and I struggle
to breathe.
I was the last person to see
you alive; you were happy and full of mischief (which was
your way). I’m glad I got to see you one last time, so full
with the joy of life. That is how I will remember you for as
long as I live.
No one will ever know why it
happened, and nobody will ever know what went on in the
moments leading up to your death. All that I can hope for is
that you didn’t suffer, and pray each day that you might
find some peace. No words can describe the deep hurt that
comes with losing you. I will make it my goal to find some
lesson in your death so that you didn’t die for nothing.
Your soul was like a
beautiful flower, picked too soon in the season of your
life... I’m so sorry we couldn’t save you!
It’s with a very heavy heart
that we say goodbye. May you rest in peace.
Your human mom
Jade de Klerk
Jade and Shine
Shine - I remember your
first day, we picked you up and we brought you home. I tied
up your umbilical cord because you were bleeding. You were
the biggest and the strongest of the three cubs. You wanted
all the bottles. Shine, our ambassador tiger, you've created
so much awareness about the tiger's fight for survival. I'm
sure, somehow - even in your absence, you will keep on
fighting for tigers.
Sunette
Sunette and
Shine
Hi there
I just wanted to say that my heart was and
still is broken! I can't imagine what you must
feel like. We were there in May 2010 and I took
a special liking to Shine.
When you took us 'walking' with them - or
they took us walking I had Shine. After wards I
bought the T-Shirt with her on it! I am so glad
I have that and my photo's as memories, and I
think I was the luckiest person alive to have
met Shine.
I am very sorry for your loss. Sending you
some pics.
Hi JV and Jade
I'm so sorry to read about the passing of
Shine. I remember her to be incredibly playful
and and mischievous, even trying to 'trip' me a
few times when we took them for a walk. She had
a lovely spirit and I am sure she will be sorely
missed. Hope both of you find some peace.
Thank you for the work you do.
Estelle Prinsloo
Dear JV and Sunette,
We just returned from 12 days incommunicado off
the coast of British Columbia to learn of the
tragedy. With tears in our eyes, we relived our
days at Tiger Canyons and the time spent with the
beautiful Shine. During our visit, you released
Sunderban, Zaria and Shine into the new boma and it
was so special to see Shine explore her new
territory: the photo below captures her confidence
that day.
And we were all so pleased to see all three
waiting expectantly for us in the morning after
their first overnight stay. In our videos, JV, we
hear you affectionately speak to Shine as "Sister"
and "Sissie," helping us imagine your pain; we
speed our love, support and best thoughts to you,
Sunette, Richard, Andreas, Zelda, and to everyone at
Tiger Canyons.
We are also touched by the irony of our deep
feeling of loss over one magnificent tiger, Shine,
while hundreds of tigers are destroyed annually. If
everyone "knew" just one tiger as we did, we would
like to think that extinction could never occur
anywhere. Shine will always be with us....
Mary Beth & Bob Wheeler
Hi JV
Seffi, Daniel, Kelly and myself (Jane) – we visited
you in April this year and had the privilege of meeting
Shine, taking her for a walk and playing with her – are
deeply shocked and saddened to hear of her death. We
are so glad that we had the chance to interact with her.
We could see that you were very close to and proud
of her. I am sure that you must be so sad and filled
with regret about her death but what you are doing for
tigers is profound and important – she did not die in
vain. Keep up the amazing work.
I attach pics of her that you might want to add to
your collection.
Take care. We hope to visit you again soon.
Kind regards
Jane, Seffi, Daniel and Kelly
Dear JV,
Dear Sunette,
i'm very sad to hear of shine's death and wanted to
send some pictures in memory of her. She was truly
amazing. The experience I made visiting tiger
canyons is unforgettable and I thank you for that.
Keep up the great work.
Kind regards,
Ben
Dear John and Staff,
Having recently visited your canyon and being
impressed with your conservation efforts, we were
moved to assist in a small way.
Therefore the donation.
We realize it is only a drop in the ocean, but
it all adds up.
We are sad to hear of the sudden death of the
beautiful tiger.
Keep up the good work and thank you for the day
we spent with you and the supper we had together.
Should you enjoy a game of golf, you are most
welcome to spend a day or two here on the Pezula
golf estate.
Just give us a call, maybe the change will be
good for you.
Regards to You and your Team,
Joan & Lawrie Cremen
Dearest JV,
My sympathies to you and the team on the passing of
Shine.
I pray that she reaches a better place and from there
guides your efforts in Tiger Conservation.
The blood that she shed must not be in vain.
Yours
Lushen Pather
Hi JV
so sorry to hear about
Shine....sounds like she was an amazing animal and this
must have been a really difficult time for you.
Michaela and i sending love
from capetown and really hope we can come out there and
visit you one day
cheers
Nick Chev
Hi John,
We visited you with the
Bonanza Fly-Away a couple of weeks ago. Very sad to
hear about Shine.
Regards
Glorianne le Roux
Dear JV,
Dear Sunette,
this is really a tragedy. Sooooo sad to hear your news.
It must be hoorible for both of you to loose this cub you
raised by hand. Cannot imagine how sad you must be.
I am so glad that I had the chance to see her and having the
chance to play with her 4 weeks ago.
I still trust in your great project and the wonderful and
effortless work that you are doing for these creatures.
Thanks for that!!! and thanks for giving people like us the
possibility to join these animals.
But though this might be a setback, remember without your
efforts none of these tigers would be there.
Take care and all the best....and thanks for sharing with
these open words.
My thoughts are with you!
Yours Susanne
Hi there John,
Of all the news letters you
kindly send, Shine's death is the saddest thing to hear
of. Your love of your vocation and "babes" is natural
but don't lose faith in your mission. Loss of a friend
takes time to get over so remember all the good times
together while greiving. Shine was a delight to take a
walk with as were her hand reared siblings so we will
remember the pounces and nips on bums she and her mates
dished out that day.
Keep strong.
Fondest wishes to you.
John and Marietjie Read
our thoughts are with you, we were privileged to
have walked with Shine
rgds
colin and sandy anderson
Thank you so much for sharing this sad loss with
us.
It makes my heart break, I wish you all the best in
your endeavours to find the best way for the animals
to co-exist.
I hope you find support and wisdom when you need it
so that this journey can ultimately be a success
for you and them.
With best wishes
from
Sheena
Hey John
Read the news about Shine and my heart
skipped a beat and my whole day I was thinking
what if Shine had her own boma and had wild
litter…
However these things happen in the wild and
it is nature, so please do not take it to heart
too much I know you will miss her.
The one question I have is are the other two
hand raised cubs safe with 3 wild tigers and
Shadow?
You are my hero and one day I want to do the
same in India/Australia- keep up the great work
Cheers
Mandanna Ponnappa
Dear JV
We are so very sorry to hear about Shine – what
devastating news!
A very belated thank you for taking us out and
sharing your tigers with us. It was amazing to see the
lioness Savannah (I still can’t get over her size!)
watching over the 4 tiger “cubs” and to see the tigers
all roaming free - they truly are such magnificent
creatures and we can truly understand why you are so
focused and determined to conserve them. Dinner was
delicious (the tastiest lamb stew that I have ever
tasted!! – please pass on our compliments to Zelda) and
we so enjoyed catching up with you and getting a better
understanding of Tiger Canyons and your vision for the
future. We have been trying to get to Philipollis for
so many years and so it was so special to finally get
there and see it all for ourselves.
We are thinking of you over this very sad time.
Lots of love
Stoff, Debs, Megs and Rors xx
Very sad news indeed. It shows how much we still
have to learn....
May her memory Shine on.
Michelle
A magnificent but truly heartbreaking story ...
Thank you still for the updates!!
Marieke Aucamp
Dear J.V,
I am terribly saddened to hear of the loss of
your tigress, Shine.
My thoughts and condolences are with you at this
time.All of us that work with wild animals
are,unfortunatly,from time to time exposed to these
terrible losses.
Keep up the wonderful work that you are doing
Sincerely,
Mark
Hi John,
So sorry to hear about
Shine’s tragic death – our sincerest condolences.
I told Sharry last night
and she was devastated, especially after looking so
forward to swimming with her sometime.
We are planning an
outreach visit with 10 couples early next year and we
will definitely be coming to visit.
Keep up the great work!
Kind regards,
Martin Banner
Hi
I am so sad to hear of this
All JV can accept is this is nature we have no real
control over it
We have to live learn and protect it , of which he
is doing a great job, we sadly missed seeing shine on
our visit
But will be back to support what you are doing and
see the others again
Keep it up guys
Simon and Karynsa Lamprey
Dear JV and the team
What a tragic loss. Shine sounds like she was a
beautiful tiger and will be sorely missed.
Deepest sympathies
Carey Johnson
Hi there,
I am so sorry to hear of your loss. She was really
beautiful.
Kind Regards
Carol Cross
This is an extremely heart ripping news. I cannot
believe that she is no more…. It is an irreparable loss…
but I would still say introducing her to the wild was
never a mistake on your part. This is an extreme
misfortune for both Shine & Tiger canyons that such an
unprecedented accident took over the joys of Tiger
lovers all over the world !! It has been a stupendous
effort on your part so please don’t blame yourself for
this.
She will live in our hearts forever… may her soul
rest in peace.
Niladri Sarkar.
Dear John,
I just wanted to say how shocked and saddened Joseph and I
were to hear about "SHINE".....
One of the most extraordinary experiences in my life is now
a bitter sweet memory'
I'M also thinking of you. Shine is quiet now, at peace. You
are the one in pain. I know how I feel. I cant imagine what
you feel....I hope the time passes quickly and I wish for
you a million great successes with your dream
project.......The tigers are, to me, the most beautiful
perfect animal.....Lots of good luck to you
love
Ellen and Joseph
Hi JV, Sunette and all the others of Tiger Canyons
What terrible news – and particularly sad for us who
got to know Shine so well on our two trips to the
Canyon. Our thoughts and feelings are very much with you
all at present.
We will never forget Shine, her personality and the
tremendous fun it was walking with her! We trust that
you can get some good from the tragedy, that you can
learn and have all the fantastic memories and photos
that have been taken. But I know the ache that will be
there, which is only dimmed eventually by time.
The amount of enrichment we gained from our visits
and association with you all at Tiger Canyons is
unsurpassed, and we repeatedly say to each other how we
would love to visit Tiger canyons again! We will
continue to follow your story closely, and never fail to
promote you and your work!
With fond best wishes
(Dr) Brian and Di Ritchie
East London
Hi Sunette
Ek is so verskriklik jammer om te hoor van Shine.
En net toe sy haar debut maak in Country Life!!
Sterkte daar vir julle – stuur my wense aan JV.
Groete
Doreen
Dear JV,
I am so sorry for your loss of Shine. She was a beautiful
tigeress and I will miss her terribly. Will Julie's other
cubs be separated from Shadows son to keep him from killing
them? I hope so! I have a new email address and would like
to continue receiving your newsletters.
How are Julie's younger cubs doing? Personally I hope Julie,
Seatao and all their cubs remain safe, is it possible to
section off a place for them away from Shadow and her son?
Take care and all my love to the cats of Tiger Canyon.
Carryl Edwards
Hi JV,
We are so terribly sorry to hear of this big loss at
Tiger Canyons! Our kids were also deeply saddened and
Divan(4) just wanted to know what happened and why.
Mikayla said that Shine was her favourite!
It is always so sad to see how cruel nature can be!
Lots of strength and blessings to you as you work
through the pain of loosing such a beautiful animal!
Love
The Eksteens from Grahamstown (Walter, Natasja, Mikayla,
Divan Walter and Steffan)
Hi JV and Sunette.
Just to say how devastated I am to hear about Shine
and my thoughts go out to you as I cannot even begin to
imagine how hard it must be for you. May you find the
strength to continue the good work you do
Kind regards
Tertia Smit
Hi JV
Very unfortunate that Shine is gone, really painful
to read that story
Come to think of it from your vision perspective – (i)
there is a lesson learnt here – hand raising will never
make them really wild despite their aggressiveness, size
and the training we give them to become wild (ii) Think
Corbett is on his way to prove your hard efforts are
paying – truly wild tigers. You should really feel
proud about this. You’re proving the skeptics (whole lot
of them in fact J) wrong
Being an Indian, seeing 1 vanishing tiger every 2-3
days, I get a hope, your efforts will get these
beautiful beast in Africa and the next generation of
Indians will visit Africa to see them in wild though
tiger will remain as our national animal on the books,
zoos and Museums. Really sad state in India
I know it’s tragic to loose Shine and can imagine
your feelings. Corbett would compensate for this in his
natural way when he has a territory of his own and
tigresses around him and just wait for that moment JV
God Bless you
Regards
Siva
Oh my gosh!!! We are speachless with the news of
Shine!!, and will. treasure her pictures. Devasted, and
so sad. Be strong, learn, you have to go on!!!!
Don't be haunted, you did you best.
Hugs, The Theron Family
What a moving and magnificent experience. In sheep
farming, they cull out all the wrong temperaments. The
hippos now on the Seacow (PC Ferreira’s farm) were
received from the “Problem Animal Forum” – the bad
tempered bull kills the offspring.
xoMarina
Oh dear, Hun please don't blame yourself. Think of all
the great and good things you do for the remaining tigers.
Always remember that everything has a reason, although you
might not see the answer now it will come to you.
Much light and love at the loss of Shine. Listen to
her guidance and she will still teach only in spirit
this time.
Jeraque
Dear JV
We are sad about Shine, and so sad for you, knowing
what the all the tigers mean to you. But we knew Shine
was special.
A big hug,
Julienne
Dear JV
Our family are very sorry for your loss. We walked
with her and the other cubs last September and we
absolutely loved her agility and playfulness.
Kindest regards
The Kotzen Family
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