UPDATE; Nigel the Puma settling in well in new home at Lincolnshire Wildlife Park

In the latest update on the TV celebrity, who shot to farm when the park launched an appeal after he was diagnosed with a serious eye condition, the park said he was enjoying his temperature controlled facility that helps ease his arthritis, along with medication.

Usually, euthanasia would be the first point of call in other parks for an animal that faced blindness with an eye condition like this, but LWP could not see that happen.

Therefore, Steve and the team set to work to design a custom-built enclosure for larger animals like Nigel, that need a sensory environment.

After some incredible support from volunteers and social media, of which the park now has almost 100,000 followers, funds were raised to begin work on this special enclosure, only to be halted in 2020 due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

With a lack of funding through the closing of the charity’s doors, the future for Nigel was beginning to look very bleak.

It is only with the sheer determination from the supporters and the staff, that Nigel’s enclosure could slowly continue.

All the funds available were injected into making sure it happened, while Nigel resided alongside the Tigers at Bengal Gardens, still gaining an enriching lifestyle as part of the rotation system with the other Big Cats.

However in May, Nigel finally moved to his completed sensory enclosure, after first having a thorough health check from trusted veterinarian of many years Ian Bates of Fenwold Vets in Mablethorpe.

Not only will Nigel have a new enclosure to explore and live out a full and healthy lifestyle in, but a new form of medication developed for Cats with

arthritic problems such as his. CEO Steven Nichols will be monitoring him closely while in the initial stages of the medication, as well as updating the many followers on social media of his progress.

Steve said the £250,000 enclosure has been designed to cater for the problems that Nigel is suffering from but will also cater for any other big cats we have such as the Giant White Lions who are also showing signs of age.

There are training tables so the cats can receive treatment regular without the worry of continually sedating them that comes complete with weighing scales.

Zoned, underfloor heated areas on the floors give the animals choice of floor temperature rather than keepers having to decide whether the animals are warm or cool, enough, the raised bed located directly in front of the bullet-proof viewing windows are always set at 20 degrees Centigrade, meaning the likes of Nigel’s acute Arthritis can receive heat at all times while letting the visitors get a real close-up and personal experience, as like

every cat on the planet, he just loves lounging in the heat.

The huge indoor pens (bedroom) can be split into two with the rear unit being used as medical operating theatre instantly with all lighting and electrics retrospectively fitted so they’re in place ready.

For more details on Lincolnshire Wildlife Park visit here the website at https://www.lincswildlife.com/