Thank YOU for Making Big Cat Rescue a World Class Sanctuary

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Check out the Most Recent Mews-Letter

 

http://bigcatrescue.org/2012/advocat-2012-05-happy-mothers-day

 

Have One Wild Time on Your Summer Vacation

 

Summer Camp Schedule 2012

 

8-11 year olds: June 18-21, June 25-28, July 9-12, July 16-19, July 23-26, July 30-Aug. 2, Aug. 6-Aug. 9

12-15 year olds:  June 25-28, July 9-12, July 16-19, July 30-Aug. 2

Young Adult Expedition for 16-18 year olds will be either July 5-7 or July 26-28. Tuition for YA Expedition is $315.

Regular camp tuition is $210. Early bird pricing in effect if registered by 6/1/12–$195.

Camp days are from 9:30am-4pm. Registration begins March 1st.

To Register:  Contact Willow Hecht, ED Director at 813.323.3265 or kids@bigcatrescue.org

 

Most Important Big Cat Bill Ever

This bill called the Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act HR 4122 is the most important piece of legislation to ever be introduced to protect lions, tigers and other exotic wild cats from being kept as pets and in miserable roadside zoos.  Click the link above to find out more.

Give Her a Second Chance

This blind baby bobcat kitten needs a name

On Mar 5 we got a call from the Florida Wildlife Commission asking if we could help a blind bobcat that had been reported by the Manager of the Cemex Mine. His name is Tommie and he loves the wildlife that calls his land a sanctuary. He knew there was something desperately wrong with this little kitten from the first day he saw her, which was about two weeks before.

We made arrangements to drive up to the mine on Mar 6 to set a humane trap because the kitten had not been seen since Feb 27. Jamie and I drove up with a trap, nets, carrier, and bait for four days and Tommie Deaner agreed to check and set the trap daily.

On the way to Center Hill Tommie texted that the bobcat was in sight and that he had caught some fish for her and was feeding her. Jamie texted back to stop because traffic had us running a half hour late. Since there was no way to get a fish away from a starving bobcat, Tommie improvised and got a box out of the trash to trap her in.

When Jamie and I drove up we were waved to the scene by Cemex staff. When we saw the box we were thrilled at the prospect of NOT having to chase a bobcat all over place. The problem was that the box didn’t have a bottom.

We slid a piece of plywood under the box, like you would pick up a spider with a cup and cardboard (per Jamie) and then put the whole thing in the van. The plan was to shift her from the box to the carrier inside the van, so that if the bobcat escaped, she was at least trapped in the van… with us. Well, that part wasn’t very appealing, but it was better than the risk of losing her and having her starve to death.

If you have never seen Jamie net a cat; you haven’t seen art in motion. Quicker than a blink she had her in the net and backed up to the carrier door. Since she really couldn’t see well enough to put up much of a fight, we got her in the carrier pretty neatly. She growled for a while, but the belly full of fish and the swaying motion of the van for an hour and a half put her right to sleep.

She has tested negative for all of the major cat killers, except her Toxo test, which is still pending. She was suffering from starvation, blindness and parasites and is being treated but there is no longer any hope for restoring her site.

One of the best ways to help this cute little bobcat kitten and others like her is by clicking the Donate Now button below.

Who is Big Cat Rescue?

Big Cat Rescue is the largest accredited sanctuary in the world dedicated entirely to abused and abandoned big cats. We are home to over 100 lions, tigers, bobcats, cougars and other species most of whom have been abandoned, abused, orphaned, saved from being turned into fur coats, or retired from performing acts. Our dual mission is to provide the best home we can for the cats in our care and educate the public about the plight of these majestic animals, both in captivity and in the wild, to end abuse and avoid extinction.

Lion and Tiger Friends at Big Cat Rescue

• Big Cat Rescue is the largest accredited sanctuary in the world dedicated entirely to abused and abandoned big cats.
• The sanctuary began rescuing exotic cats in Nov. 4, 1992.
• The non profit 501c3 sanctuary is home to more than 100 exotic big cats
• The cats at Big Cat Rescue are here for a variety of reasons, including:
  • Abandoned by owners who wrongly thought they would make good pets
  • Abused by owners in order to force them to perform
  • Retired from performing acts
  • Saved from being slaughtered to make fur coats
  • Rescued as babies after hunters killed their mothers
• Big Cat Rescue has 14 species of cats, many of whom are threatened, endangered or extinct now in the wild, including:
  • Tigers, Lions, Leopards, Cougars
  • Bobcats, Lynx, Servals, Ocelots, Caracals, Jungle Cats, Leopard Cats and a Geoffroy Cat
• Big Cat Rescue’s dual mission is to provide the best home we can for the cats in our care and educate the public about the plight of these majestic animals, both in captivity and in the wild, to end abuse and avoid extinction.
• The non-profit organization is:
  • Accredited by the Global Federation of Sanctuaries
  • Certified by Independent Charities of America as a “Best in America Charity”
  • Member of the World Society for Protection of Animals
  • Rated 4 Stars by Charity Navigator (their highest rating) and has the highest score of any animal based charity
• The sanctuary is situated on 55 acres in the Citrus Park area of north Tampa.