Tikam was born in September 2018 and bought at the age of about 8 weeks by a private person from southern Germany for 2,300 € from a breeder in the Czech Republic. He was then brought illegally across the border without vaccinations and valid papers and kept in an apartment.

After several residents and also the landlady had filed a complaint with the veterinary office when they saw the man with the cougar on a leash in the city park, they controlled the keeping conditions. The owner was ordered to immediately hand over the puma to a species-appropriate home – otherwise he was threatened with confiscation. The man then turned to TIERART and we agreed to take Tikam in. However, due to the lack of vaccination protection, he first had to be housed for a few weeks in the quarantine station of a German animal shelter.

Since the 2^nd February 2019, Tikam lives at TIERART Wild Animal Sanctuary and temporarily inhabited a part of the tiger enclosure. A special puma enclosure of 840 m² was built and the puma could be moved into his new home in spring 2022. 

Tikam is a sad example of the insufficient legislation regarding the keeping of exotic wild animals in Germany.

In fact, the private keeping of puma, tiger, cheetah and other wild animals is allowed in some federal states in Germany. Partly, the requirements for the keeping conditions of exotic wild animals are unfortunately very low. In the case of Tikam, an outdoor enclosure of only 100 m² would have been enough to keep him.

Tikam loves to sneak up on quiet soles and then launch lightning-fast mock attacks. The young puma's urge to move and his pronounced play instinct are also the focus when it comes to choosing activity material. He especially enjoys playing with any form of balls or moving objects.