sanctuary

Volunteer Management

Volunteer Management

Volunteer Management Big Cat Rescue had 89 volunteers at the end of 2014 who clocked in 40,547 man-power hours, in addition to 54 interns who clocked 32,400 man-power hours, plus 4,793 Volunteer Committee member hours. In total this amounted to 77,740 man-power hours provided roughly the equivalent workforce of 37 more full time staff.  Between paid…

Operant Conditioning Video

Operant Conditioning Video

Operant Conditioning Video   Operant Conditioning: Big Cat Rescue’s Animal Training Program is based on operant conditioning and clicker training techniques. Operant conditioning is a type of learning in which behaviors are altered by the consequences that follow them. The behaviors are not forced, but “caught”, reinforced and therefore trained. We train only natural behaviors,…

Quarantine

Quarantine

Big Cat Rescue’s Quarantine Protocol   To prevent the introduction of disease to animals already established in the Sanctuary, new animal arrivals are quarantined on arrival in the Sanctuary’s Quarantine Facility. Occasionally new arrivals will be quarantined elsewhere on site. To control certain health problems or outbreaks of disease, quarantine restrictions are sometimes placed on…

Records

Records

Big Cat Rescue’s Communication and Records [toc] The cats at Big Cat Rescue live much longer and healthier lives than do most exotic cats in zoos, sanctuaries or private collections.  A big part of that is because of the record keeping process that is everyone’s job at Big Cat Rescue. We share our record keeping…

Acquisitions

Acquisitions

Big Cat Rescue’s Animal Acquisition Policy Our board asks the following list of questions when considering a rescue situation: • Is it a cat? • Has this cat been with us before? • Are we financially able and staff stable enough to take on this commitment? • Will the owner surrender the permits and sign…

Pills

Giving an Exotic Cat a Pill     Giving a cat a pill can be a harrowing experience for both you and the cat. Exotic cats are worse because they are not as trusting, have a keener sense of smell and are more powerful. As with any aspect of exotic cat ownership, you must rely…