Jake is the star tiger at Blossom's Mammoth Circus in Dr. Dolittle. Plagued by headaches, nauseau, and double vision, the troubled Jake decides to commit suicide by leaping from a bell tower. John Dolittle is informed of the tiger's plight, and sets out to help him (although a stay in a mental institution briefly deters him). Dolittle brings Jake to his hospital and succeeds in performing a vital, life-saving operation.

The animatronic Jake was used for every shot in the climactic surgery scene, with a live tiger used in all other on-screen instances.