AdvoCat 2008 01

Greetings Friend of Big Cat Rescue!

Plans to save the tiger are more than just a New Year’s Resolution;  it is our mission.  If you care about tigers the time is now or never and this issue will tell you how you can be involved in changing the fate of the planet.  You are a lot more powerful than you may know and the cats and I are depending on you to look deep inside so that you can draw out that inner tiger.  Roar into 2008 with a purpose!

 

Carole Baskin, Founder

 

 

	10,000 Tigers in 10 Years

Big Cat Rescue has been accepted into the International Tiger Coalition, which is a group of 41 organizations committed to saving the tiger, based upon our unique ability to address the captive issues that imperil tigers in the wild.  We keep the most accurate and up to date information on tigers in captivity, from attacks, maulings and escapes to proper care for tigers who have been bred for life in cages.  We will be working with the team members of the International Tiger Coalition to stop the private possession and trafficking in tigers through better laws.

Find out who is working to save the tiger, who is profiting from their exploitation, watch a new tiger slide show and read the plan to save 10,000 tigers in 10 years.  Plans are in the works to award cash prizes for the best tiger conservation plans.  Maybe you will be the one to “see outside the cage.”  https://bigcatrescue.org/InternationalTigerCoalition.htm

	Big Cat Rescue Annual Report

Every year the Annual Report recaps a year of trials and struggles, awards and accomplishments.  2007 was our best year yet and it was all because of you.  See the good that you did:  https://bigcatrescue.org/000archives/2007annualreport.htm

	Valentine’s Day Cards, Puzzles & Games

Thanks to the work of our AdvoCat LaWanna Jones we added hundreds of new e-Cards in a snazzy new program that loads quickly and gives you lots of time saving features.  You can import your address book.  You can create cards in advance and set them to send on the dates in the future that correspond to holidays, birthdays and anniversaries.  The images are all cats and critters you love at Big Cat Rescue and have a pop up box to tell a little more them if your recipients want to know.    https://www.bigcatfun.com/ecards/

We have also added hundreds of new Valentine’s Day Puzzles, new bookmarks and hundreds of new free online games here: https://bigcatrescue.org/game/gamesholidayfunvalentine.htm

	Big Cat Rescue wins the People’s Choice Award

Thanks to your votes Big Cat Rescue was awarded the People’s Choice Award by WEDU, our local PBS affiliate. More than 80 charities competed in a 16 county radius for this award, but Big Cat Rescue took 31% of the vote.  This is the second year in a row that Big Cat Rescue has taken home this coveted prize.  Next year the contest is going national and we will be counting on your votes to show the rest of the country that there are tens of thousands of people who care about lions, tigers and other big cats.
https://bigcatrescue.org/000news/pdf/2007_BeMore_Winners.pdf

	$5,000 Reward!

Big Cat Rescue is offering a $5,000 reward for information resulting in the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for shooting a young, female tiger to death. Her body was found next to an apartment complex and I-35E in Dallas, TX on Christmas Day. See the video report:  https://bigcatrescue.org/video/b42008/5000reward.htm

	Tiger Escapes, Mauls Three and Kills Teenager

While this tragedy happened at at the San Francisco Zoo, it could have happened anywhere.

This situation has brought into sharp focus the fact that these animals do not belong in cages and that no matter how long a situation may have been considered safe, it is never 100% fool proof.  Natural disasters aside, you can never protect a captive animal from a fool.  The debate that erupted over this highly publicized Christmas death of the teenager and the endangered tiger has also illuminated the fact that zoo animals are frequently taunted, harassed, yelled at and have things thrown at them.  Day after day, they sit there and take it, until one day they don’t.

Big Cat Rescue does not allow such behavior and our guided tours ensure the safety of our guests and the dignity of our residents.  Shere Khan, China Doll and Auroara are three tigers who enjoy 1 acre and 3 acre enclosures.  These are some of our oldest cages and we were in the process of renovating them at the time of the attack.  Now we are thinking even more about safety and because of the size of their cat-a-tats this will be a very expensive undertaking.

Please help us secure their future with the best caging possible. Have your name etched in marble on their enclosure and read about matching funds that are available now too:

https://bigcatrescue.org/000news/0articlesbybcr/TigerCages.htm

	2007 Heroes

Big Cat Rescue had 107 volunteers in 2007 who clocked in 57,302 man-power hours in addition to staff and Volunteer Committee member hours.  Roughly the equivalent workforce of 27 more full time staff in addition to our 7 full time paid staff.

We created the S.A.V.E. award for Scratch’s Award 4 Volunteer Excellence.  The 2007 recipients were Julie Hanan, Cathy Monroe, Tiffany Deavor, Glen Yancey, Kym Marszal, Merrill Kramer, Barbara Frank, Marie Schobert, Edith Parker, Babs Riddle, Anne Canterbury and Angie Gabor.  Winners of the S.A.V.E. award are allowed to direct $500.00 to the cat project of their choice. Our 2007 Volunteer of the Year is Barbara Frank.

Meet all of our volunteers, interns and staff online at a new section in their honor. https://bigcatrescue.org/hero/000hero.htm

(Some of the repetitive text is a place holder until the volunteers update their sections with their own quotes about why they do what they do.  If you are a volunteer and have changes to make to your section, or would like to post a nice comment about one of your co workers email them to Carole Baskin at Info@bigcatrescue.org)

	A $20 Rolex…and it’s real!

This Rolex raffle has a much shorter time frame than the Fur Ball raffle and as a result, there are far fewer entries.  That makes your chances much better!  Raffle tickets are $20 each, or the best value is 7 for $100. The drawing will be held at 5:00 PM February 8, 2008, just in time for Valentine’s Day, at the Safari Trading Post at Big Cat Rescue. Winner will be notified by telephone.

Tickets are available at our gift shop, by calling the gift shop at 813-920-4130, online at the link below, or at the beautiful AvantGold showroom at 10330 N. Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa. Must be 18 years or older. If you purchase tickets online or by phone, we will fill out your ticket for you and mail you the stub and photocopy of your ticket.

This is a great way to support the cats and maybe end up with a fabulous watch! Our hearty thanks to AvantGold for their wonderful generosity. Please consider thanking them with your patronage. https://bigcatrescue.org/rolex.htm