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Good News!  Good News!

Thor the Bobcat is released back to the wild.  Thor had been hit in the head by a car and survived nearly overwhelming odds against him.  See the video of this most unusual release at: https://bigcatrescue.org/thor/

Grrrreat New Videos

There have been 13 grrrreat new videos posted since the last AdvoCat.  Check them out!

https://www.youtube.com/user/BigCatRescue/videos

7 Most Common Questions

Below are questions we hear many times every day.  They are the most common questions that people ask. Please check out the links to get the complete answer to each question.

1. Do You Have Babies?  No legitimate sanctuary will have babies.  Cub pimps will use them until they are nearly full grown for pay to play schemes; then they are dumped.  If you see a facility that often has babies, then you know they are part of the problem, not the solution.  Find out more at:  https://bigcatrescue.org/breedingkills/

2.  Can I Pet Them? No legitimate facility will let you or anyone else pet exotic cats.  They won’t post pictures of themselves doing it either.  It’s dangerous, rude and is the number one reason for so much abuse.  Find out more at:  https://bigcatrescue.org/cubs/

3.  Why Can’t They Go Free?  Our goal is a world where all wild cats live free, but until we are able to stop the captive breeding of wild cats, here is more info on why cats born in cages can never go free:  https://bigcatrescue.org/gofree/

4.  Who Else Can I Donate To?  Because people know and trust us they often ask us to vet their other donation options.  This page gives you far more detail on how to make those important decsions:  https://bigcatrescue.org/donatetoo/

5.  Don’t They Need a Friend? Cats are solitary by nature.  Find out why they are happier to have their own space at:  https://bigcatrescue.org/solitary/

6.  Do You Have Cheetahs or Jaguars?  No page on this yet, but the short answer is that these cats almost never end up in need of rescue. Cheetah are so inbred and fare so poorly in captivity that they never end up in need of rescue.  Zoos have to rely primarily on importing them from the wild to keep them in cages.  Jaguars are very rarely found in captivity and due to their power and intelligence are almost never kept as pets, so they don’t end up in need of rescue.  We know places that have bought both cheetah and jaguars, and called it a rescue, but Big Cat Rescue hasn’t bought animals to rescue them since we learned better in the 1990s.

7.  What Would You Do in a Hurricane or in case of an Escape?  Find out how Big Cat Rescue prepares for the worst and works to keep the cats and surrounding community safe:  https://bigcatrescue.org/critical-incident-hurricane-and-disaster-plan/

Tiger Temple News

The last two months have ushered in a new era for big cat protection.  In the April AdvoCat we shared excellent news about USDA and USFWS cracking down on the tiger trade and the exploitation of cubs for pay to play schemes.  USDA also continues its investigation into some of the U.S. tiger mills, T.I.G.E.R.S. and GW Zoo.  And then on May 31, 2016, the Thai government seized 147 tigers, 40 dead cubs and truckloads of tiger skins, teeth, and other tiger products, from the Tiger Temple.  Animal protection groups have been trying to stop the abuse at the Tiger Temple for more than 15 years, but it wasn’t until the temple was exposed for black market trading that the front facing cub / tiger petting scheme was ended.

Find out how Thai NGOs asked their government to allow tiger experts to help https://bigcatrescue.org/thai-ngos-ask-government-allow-tiger-experts-help/

Top Shocking Incidents of Big Cat Exploitation

We hope by sharing a new list with you each month that you will join us in speaking out for the big cats and cubs that are exploited across this country every day. We encourage you to take one small action today and contact one or more of the offenders below to politely express your concern. Together we can be the voice for the voiceless…together we can make a difference. If you learn of exotic cats or cubs being exploited in your area, please contact Susan Bass at Susan.Bass@BigCatRescue.org.

No. 1 The City of Ferndale, Michigan has hired Nelson’s Wildlife Safari to bring exotic cats and other animals to its summer camp during “Creature Feature” week July 11-15. The website for Nelson’s Wildlife Safari shows tiger cubs, lynx and African servals being handled. Please contact the Mayor of Ferndale and the Ferndale Dept. of Recreation and let them know that exotic cats and children at summer camp do NOT mix. Seeing exotic cats used as entertainment is NOT educational for children and sends the wrong message that it’s okay to use wild animals however humans want. Ask them to CANCEL the exploitation of exotic cats at summer camp!

Director                            Jill Manchik                        jmanchik@ferndalemi.gov

Recreation Supervisor     Sarah Distelrath                sdistelrath@ferndalemi.gov

Mayor:                             Dave Coulter                     dcoulter@ferndalemi.gov

Mayor Pro Tem:               Melanie Piana                   mpiana@ferndalemi.gov

 

No. 2 This picture is just one of the white tigers kept at the Houston Downtown Aquarium in Texas. Yes, an AQUARIUM is exploiting tigers! A supporter tells us they live inside these tiny cement-floored cages and NEVER see the light of day. We believe this is absolutely abuse of these tigers!

It’s tragic that it is legal to keep white tigers in tiny cages for the public’s amusement just because it is legal. It certainly is not right!

The Houston Downtown Aquarium is owned and operated by the Landry’s restaurant conglomerate, which is run by President and CEO Tilman J. Fertitta. In 2005 Fertitta applied for an exotic animal ordinance with the Houston City Council to bring the tigers to the aquarium. Fertitta also owns and keeps tigers at the Denver Aquarium.

Keep that in mind the next time you are thinking about dining at a Landry’s Inc. restaurant or visiting one of their casinos. Here is a list of Landry’s Inc. restaurants to avoid:  https://www.landrysinc.com/concepts/default.asp

Contact Landry’s Inc. at 713-850-1010 and ask for President and CEO Tilman J. Fertitta.

 

 

No. 3 Please send a polite email to help this Macon GA Telegraph reporter understand that big cat lovers do NOT want to see majestic tigers exploited as circus props by the notorious Bengal Tiger Encounter show. You can also leave a comment in the article’s comment section.

Email Caitlyn Stroh at cstroh@macon.com

And while you’re at it, please send a second email to the President of the Macon Cherry Blossom Festival asking him to never have the exploitative tiger show back again at the festival.

Email Jake Ferro at jferro@cherryblossom.com

https://www.macon.com/entertainment/cherry-blossom-festival/article68545952.html

International Tiger Day 2016

Help us celebrate International Tiger Day.  Find out when and how at:  https://bigcatrescue.org/insitu/

Want a Career that Makes a Difference?

Check out this free class at ZooCollege.com to see if you have what it takes to be a Big Cat Rescuer.  https://www.zoocollege.com/lesson/animal-observation/

Final Report on Teisha Tiger

One of our favorite photos of Teisha Tiger enjoying her pool is at the top of this page.  Our hearts are still aching for this very special tiger.  Find out what we did to alliviate her suffering at: https://bigcatrescue.org/teisha/

Goodbye to Bengali Tiger

Bengali was the first to arrive and the last to leave in a 16 year saga of 13 tigers and a leopard who came from the circus to spend their retirement in paradise.

The Quarterly Big Cat Times

Our printed, quarterly magazine costs us about 43 cents to print and mail, per copy, so we can’t mail it to everyone in our database.  You can download the digital version here though:  https://bigcatrescue.org/big-cat-times/

Give Day Results

The final results of the Give Day Tampa Bay fundraising event held on May 3, 2016 are finally in! Thank you all for your incredible support of our sanctuary and our cats — and for your patience during the lengthy technical glitches the organizer’s website experienced.  We are thrilled to announce that Big Cat Rescue raised $268,478 from 398 donors during the 24-hour event! PLUS we won the $5000 prize for most donations and a $1000 prize for most donations during one of the hours of the contest!  We are humbled and grateful to have such awesome supporters! THANK YOU!

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