Punkin and his partner Melanie lived at a private facility in Ohio that bred tiger cubs and other exotic animals. The facility was shut down when the state enacted SB 310 - the Ohio Dangerous Wild Animals Act in 2014. Punkin was rescued in 2015, along with his partner Melanie, and they were relocated to Lions Tigers & Bears while the Ohio Department of Agriculture conducted an investigation on the facility they were seized from. They remained under Lions Tigers & Bears' care and in spring of 2018 we were granted full legal custody of the cougar pair, as well as two white tigers, Hank and Crystal, who were also rescued from the same facility.