Carole Baskin Founder of Big Cat Rescue
CEO AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Find me on all the social channels at https://sociatap.com/CaroleBaskin
Carole Baskin is the founder and CEO of Big Cat Rescue. She runs a real estate business and manages 100+ volunteers and interns from around the world and 10 staff and contractors. She has run this Tampa based non profit since 1992 and has garnered international attention to the plight of captive big cats on CNN, Animal Planet, Discovery, U.S. News & World Report, People Magazine, The Today Show, Sports Illustrated, Netflix, Wondery, all of the local media outlets and many more national and international programs. She is the host of the Cat Chat Show, a live interview with cat experts from around the world.
Want a customized message from her? Find Carole Baskin on BitClout or Memmo or Get Close and Personal
Book Carole on GATHR for 30 minutes to an hour!Carole is so outspoken that her enemies, the people who breed big cats and exploit the cubs in pay to play schemes, have repeatedly threatened her life and one of them is in jail serving a 22 year sentence after being convicted on two counts of murder for hire. You don’t become that hated by the industry unless you are having an impact. In November 2019 Wondery announced that Kate McKinnon would play Carole Baskin in the television mini series based on Robert Moor’s podcast, Over My Dead Body.
See my reaction to Netflix’s Tiger King; Murder, Mayhem and Madness.
Longreads did an excellent podcast and article detailing Carole Baskin and her crew’s battle to save big cats at https://longreads.com/2020/03/16/tiger-trafficking-in-america/
Photos of Carole Baskin
Feel free to use these photos in news stories about Carole Baskin, Howard Baskin and Big Cat Rescue. Photo credits to Jamie Veronica Murdock. Click on each to load a larger file.
Carole has lectured in Costa Rica, Panama, Mexico and many cities across the U.S. on legislative affairs, and sanctuary standards in Universities, Law Colleges (including Stetson, Texas Lutheran University and University of Miami), and in numerous animal association conferences. Her efforts, combined with many others of like mind, have resulted in the 2003 passage of the Captive Wild Animal Safety Act which made it illegal to sell a big cat across state lines as a pet, the 2009 requirement that those in Florida who possess Class I animals must post a $10,000 bond and the reclassification of a cougar to Class I, making it illegal to own as a pet in FL.
2021 February Interview with Spencer Lodge is fun and illuminating.
2020 Dec. 34 Better Together with Anne Hecht and Heather Duffy Boylston on Apple podcast.
Let’s Chat Cats
Buy $CAT coin at https://rally.io/creator/CAT/
Find Carole on BitClout @carolebaskin
Find Carole on Club House @bigcatrescue
Find Carole & Big Cat Rescue on Rarible https://rarible.com/bcr for one of a kind NFTs
Find Carole on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/carole.baskin
Find Carole on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/carolebaskincat/
Find Carole on Twitter @carole_baskin
Find Big Cat Rescue on Twitter @BigCatRescue
Find Carole on TikTok @carolebaskincat Find Big Cat Rescue on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@bigcatrescue?lang=en
Talk to Carole Baskin LIVE for three minutes at Get Close & Personal
Find Carole Baskin’s Diary on Spotify
Carole Baskin’s Diary
As part of the Big Cat Coalition she has worked with The International Fund for Animal Welfare, the Humane Society of the United States, Born Free, the World Wildlife Fund, the Animal Legal Defense Fund, the Wild Cat Conservation Legal Aid Society, World Council for Animal Rights, the Dean of the Massachusetts School of Law, Ian Somerhalder Foundation, and the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries. Together they represent more than 18 million supporters.
The coalition formed in 2011 and decided on a three prong approach to ending the abuse of tigers including; Closing the generic tiger loophole at the USFWS, Asking USDA to close the 4 week window of cub petting and a federal bill that ends the breeding and trade in big cats outside of AZA zoos. By 2013 the USFWS and the USDA had put the group’s suggestions on the Federal Register for public comment and had received nearly 30,000 comments in support. The Big Cat Public Safety Act, a federal bill to stop public handling of big cats and their cubs and ending the private possession of big cats is gaining momentum and is poised for passage.
Carole Baskin’s mission is to end the trade in exotic cats and thus put herself out of business.
Because of her extensive experience with big cat issues she was selected as a one of the judges for the prestigious International Big Cat Film Festival where winners were selected from over 200 entries and the awards were made at the United Nations Building by the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival.
Washington, DC, October 24, 2019 – The 2019 Carole Noon Award for Sanctuary Excellence recipient was announced by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS). This year Carole Baskin of GFAS-accredited Big Cat Rescue, one of the largest accredited sanctuaries in the world dedicated to abused and abandoned big cats, was singled out for her visionary leadership and advocacy efforts to end the private possession and trade in exotic cats through legislation and education.
My superpower is: I can see the future
When confronted with an issue, I don’t just see the problem; I see it in sort of a split screen in my head. On the left is what I have. On the right is what I want. That clarity makes it possible for me to make quick decisions about what needs to be done right now and I can see the steps needed to get to what I want. They fan out across that split screen image so that I can move on through the steps, and delegate tasks along the way, to engage others in the path to that ultimate outcome. An example of this was how the sanctuary started.
When I saw that a taxidermist was going to purchase a 6 month old bobcat, who was an unwanted pet, to turn her into a den decoration, I knew I could fix that problem. He said he was going to club her in the head in the parking lot. I was able to see that outcome AND one where she had a long, healthy life. Windsong spent the next 18 years as the beloved founder of Big Cat Rescue. The next year when confronted with 56 bobcats and lynx at a fur farm, I could see their imminent doom as skins for the fur trade AND I could see them enjoying long, healthy lives with people who would see them for the amazing individuals they all were. – Carole Baskin
The future for zoos is augmented and virtual reality, rather than holding wild cats hostage and Carole created and launched the world’s first AR Zoos in 2019. Carole’s audacious goal is to create a network of LIVE, 360 Internet streaming webcams in places where wild cats live free. Access to these cameras would be only for crypto token holders and the income from the sale of tokens would go into the local communities so that they are incentivised to protect wildlife and wild spaces. Read more at BigCatRescue.org/earth
A typical week in Carole’s life usually includes a bobcat call: https://bigcatrescue.org/bobcat-rescue-sparta-georgia/
See a typical day at the sanctuary.
Carole Baskin Speaks Out for the Florida Panther
September 2, 2015 address to the FWC in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
Oct 2017 at the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival
Some Articles About Carole Baskin
2020 Oprah Magazine’s Elena Nicolaou states, “Baskin, the founder and CEO of Florida’s Big Cats Rescue, an animal sanctuary in Florida, singlehandedly tried to take down Joe Exotic’s roadside zoo in Oklahoma, where he displayed his big cat collection with Las Vegas-style shows.” https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/a31821218/tiger-king-carole-baskin-now/
2020 Oxygen’s Gina Tron did an article called Where Is Carole Baskin, The Woman Joe Exotic Tried To Have Killed, Now? https://www.oxygen.com/true-crime-buzz/where-is-carole-baskin-from-netflixs-tiger-king-now
2020 The Mirror’s Chris Bucktin wrote an article called, Evil big cat keeper who shot 5 tigers tried to have animal activist assassinated https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/evil-big-cat-keeper-who-21731348
2020 Rachel Nuwer wrote for Longreads and did an excellent podcast and article detailing Carole Baskin and her crew’s battle to save big cats at https://longreads.com/2020/03/16/tiger-trafficking-in-america/
2020 Vox did an article saying, https://www.vox.com/culture/2020/3/20/21187519/tiger-king-netflix-review “For all the exploration of the world of big-cat lovers that Tiger King attempts, it never succeeds in giving us a sense of why things are the way they are. What draws people so strongly to these huge cats, and to the men who collect them? Why should it matter to the audience who wins the fight between conservationists and owners? And all of that’s a shame, because Tiger King doesn’t quite manage to achieve any of its possible aims — to convince audiences to care about the fate of big cats, to say something about ego or labor or America, to make its audience think twice about what props up charismatic personalities.”
2020 Radio Times https://www.radiotimes.com/news/on-demand/2020-03-17/netflix-doc-who-is-carole-baskin/
2020 Vanity Fair https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/03/netflix-tiger-king-trailer-joe-exotic
2020 The Native Influence did an in depth interview here: https://thenativeinfluence.com/contributor/carolebaskin/view/
2019 Wondery podcast called Joe Exotic features Carole Baskin. https://wondery.com/shows/joe-exotic/
2019 Common Good from Newman’s Own Foundation did an article about Carole Baskin.
2015 From Exotic Pet Breeder to Big Cat Rescuer: My Journey Towards Understanding One Green Planet
2015 Big Cat Rescue: remembering every large & exotic cat Animals 24/7
2007 She’s a Tiger Tampabay CEO Magazine
2006 My Wife is Not a Don’t Glamour Magazine
Some High Profile Article’s Quoting Carole Baskin
Mario Tabraue expose by Mother Jones
Nat Geo Wild Asks, “Are Sanctuaries Good for Wild Animals?”
National Geographic article on exotic animals as pets called Wild Obsession
Television Appearances by Carole Baskin
Animal Planet’s Fatal Attraction 3 episodes involving tigers from 2011
CNN with Jane Velez Mitchell 2011
More news appearances, videos, articles and quotes here: https://bigcatrescue.org/media/
Books
Books written by Carole Baskin or written by others and featuring Carole Baskin and Big Cat Rescue
Carole Baskin’s History
Carole Baskin is the founder and CEO of Big Cat Rescue, the world’s most influential, accredited rescue facility for exotic cats. She and her family volunteer for Big Cat Rescue as unpaid staff and have 100+ volunteers and a dozen interns from around the world. She has run this Tampa based non profit since 1992 and you may have seen Big Cat Rescue on CNN, Animal Planet, Discovery, People Magazine, The Today Show, Sports Illustrated, all of the local media outlets and many more national and international programs. She has been asked to provide lectures in Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, Brazil, and Australia, as well as countless cities across the U.S. She has lectured on cage construction, legislative affairs, and sanctuary standards in Universities, Law Colleges, and in numerous animal association conferences.
She has successfully rehabbed and released a number of bobcats and other native animals. Big Cat Rescue is accredited by The Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, and Carole Baskin served as a past President of, The Association of Sanctuaries (a national accrediting body that later folded into GFAS and is to sanctuaries what the American Zoological Association is to zoos.
She previously served on the board of the Humane USA PAC and had been the legislative liaison to the Captive Wild Animal Protection Coalition, and was responsible for representing The Association of Sanctuaries at their meetings. She supplies CWAPC with all of the current data on exotic cat issues, including the numbers being displaced, the maulings, escapes and killings of both the public and the cats involved. She scans the media daily for news regarding exotic cats and reports to some 300 people of three different groups with the daily headlines.
In 2005 she was appointed by Hillsborough County Commissioner Brian Blair as a member of the Animal Advisory Committee to assist Animal Services in their service to the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners and was unanimously elected as Chairperson the following year. Big Cat Rescue is a member of the International Tiger Coalition, Florida Association of the Restoration of Ethics, a member of the Tampa Chamber of Commerce, the Upper Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce, The Tampabay Visitors and Convention Bureau, and many other animal welfare groups.
Big Cat Rescue assists other accredited sanctuaries by helping them build cages, train their volunteers and they lend their people and resources to help them recover from natural and man made disasters. Big Cat Rescue is licensed by and in good standing with FWC, USFWS, USDA and is registered with the state of Florida as a charity.
Big Cat Rescue’s founder, Carole Baskin, with members of the Humane USA’s staff and board of directors.
Transparency Notification:
In their role as a current board member this person is not independent and is a voting member in 2020.
The CEO’s pay is determined based upon others in the industry and her performance, which is reviewed by the board annually.
How do I ask a question to Carole Baskin on her opinion of the American Sanctuary Association accreditation versus the GFAS accreditation that Big Cat Rescue has? I know and respect the GFAS, but I have just learned about the ASA. From my reading on it, it sounds good, but what does Carole think? I ask so I know which sanctuaries to support and which to avoid. The Wild Cat Sanctuary is ASA certified, so do they have tough enough standards?
I am friends with Cathy Cowan from Columbus, Ohio and I testified as a private citixen on the last day of testimony for SB 310 the Wild Animal Protection Act for Ohio.
I live in Massillon where the Stump Hill Farm is located and you probable know this is the place that provides the Obie tigers for the Massillon football team. Shamefully 42 cubs in the past 20 years. No I have not remained passive on this issue and I have repeatedly and diplomatically stated my opinion to both Representative Kirk Schuring and Senator Scott Oelslager (fallen on deaf ears).
What is your opinion on Noah's Lost Ark located in Canfield, Ohio? Please answer openly and honestly. I have visited them, seemed okay, but then I heard they are not a good sanctuary and since I am no expert, I need an honest opinion from someone who is.
*citizen, *probably
Correctly spelled sentences are a must when posting thoughts.
[…] crafted profile page can quickly tell your story. By creating simply titled, similar notebooks, Big Cat Rescue CEO Carole Baskin presents her organization’s advocacy with compelling clarity. At a glance, this simple but […]
[…] caught up with Big Cat Rescue’s #1 cat lover and CEO Carole Baskin about her experience using our tour app builder platform. We can help you also reach new […]
Carole Baskin and all her helpers are ALL amazing, wonderful, compassionate loving people. They deserve total respect and admiration for their commitment to All living creatures. Words cannot express All the life saving achievements they have been involved with over the years/
[…] to avoid the zoo having to close but also stop animals from having to be bred for life in cages? Carole Baskin, the Founder and CEO of Big Cat Rescue, has a solution and is making strides towards trying to prove it to others. Her solution is a […]
[…] caught up with Big Cat Rescue’s #1 cat lover and CEO Carole Baskin about her experience using our tourApp Builder Platform. The app offers a tour of the Big Cat […]
I have just watched Carol on ITV in the UK this morning. I didn’t even think that they would sell the Cubs on the black market for parts. It’s purely awful. I am Australian and support ‘Symbio’ wild life in NSW.
Can you suggest how I can get involved to help ? Can I start a movement here in the UK with your advice to bring more attention to the Big cats plight. ??
When was the last time you released a big cat back into the wild?
See BigCatRescue.org/bobcat-rehab for a list. It is usually several per year, but the thing is that only cats born in the wild are legal to release to the wild.
You’re an AMAZING woman, Carole Baskin!!!
Much love from a Tampa Bay girl to another 1…♡
Terrific article
PRAISE THE LORD…….. FOR PEOPLE LIKE YOU!
A TRUE ADVOCATE FOR THE ANIMALS!
AND THAT ‘THING’………… JOE EXOCTIC ……..
WELL THANK GOD ! ……
22 YEARS IN JAIL! …… YAY……..
THAT IS A GOOD START OF JUSTICE BEING SERVED!
I PRAYED EVERYDAY…..
#EVERYDAY…..
FOR A GOOD RULING!
……… BUT GOTTA GO ……. GOD BLESS YOU! …..JC
Thank you for the love, heart and ability you have to save these beautiful cat’s, the world need’s more of you.
Your style is really unique compared to other people I have read stuff from. Thanks for posting when you’ve got the opportunity, Guess I will just book mark this blog.|
Best view i have ever seen !
Hi there everybody, here every one is sharing these kinds of know-how, therefore it’s fastidious to read this webpage, and I used to pay a visit this blog everyday.|
Best view i have ever seen !
Best view i have ever seen !
Best view i have ever seen!
I will bookmark your weblog and take a look at again right here regularly.
You made some decent points there. I looked on the internet to find out more about the issue and found most people will go along with your views on this web site.
It as hard to find experienced people in this particular subject, but you sound like you know what you are talking about! Thanks
Excellent post. I’m going through many of these issues as well..
I’m impressed, I have to admit. Seldom do I encounter a blog that’s both educative and amusing, and let me tell you, you’ve hit the nail on the head. The issue is something that too few men and women are speaking intelligently about. I’m very happy I found this during my hunt for something regarding this.|
Oh my goodness! Amazing article dude! Many thanks, However I am having difficulties with your RSS. I donít know why I can’t subscribe to it. Is there anybody else having similar RSS issues? Anybody who knows the solution can you kindly respond? Thanks!!
Nice sharing, Thanks for sharing this type of article
Very nice write-up. I absolutely love this website. Continue the good work!
I just got done watching Tiger King for the first time. I would like to say your work for these animals is truly beautiful and supportive to the big cat community. I don’t understand how the media has turned this story into a circus instead of your fight for big cats. Please keep up the good work and don’t let the negative comments get you down.
Hi Carole,
I am Australian and we have laws stopping people from owning exotic animals. Keep fighting, we are in your corner. You are doing the right thing and many, many people know this.
We saw your new show where you chase down and save big cats from horrible situations. There is a zoo local to us, Zootastic Park in Troutman, NC. They have big cats but also other exotic animals as well. They have been cited and fined on multiple occasions but for whatever reason, they’re still in operation. Just reaching out in case there is anything you can do whether through your own means or reaching out to people you know that can ultimately shut this place down.
*NOT ABUSIVE COMMENT*
Because I don’t agree with animals being in cages I never took an interest in the zoo’s, which meant that as of today (5th June 2022) I never bothered to pay attention to all the ‘tiger king trend) till I read about the other charges he got convicted over. After watching the Netflix series I think the other 2 ‘co-horts’ that knew the dirty deeds were going on should also rot in jail!!!
I admire the fact that your trying to save the animals from being locked up in cages, especially as you said your aim is for animals to NOT need a rescue facility which puts you out of ‘business’ even though it’s a non-profit.
I was just wondering about what you do to help these animals from going extinct in the wild because I could only find the info on your achievements are in the US?
I hope that something is done ASAP about saving endangered animals in the wild WORLDWIDE or future generations will only have photos and videos of these beautiful animals.
Best of luck and after reading how many exotic animals are owned in the US, I’m happy that here in Australia there are very strict laws and regulations about animal ownership – still needs to be much tougher punishment for abuse here.
bookmarked!!, I love your site!
There is certainly a lot to find out about this issue. I like all the points you have made.
Have a nice day! i am very lucky because i have got the fabulous website who deliver us a unique and most authentic information which enhance the readers knowledge. This is my first time visit and i would like to say please convey more pretty info like this. Thanks
Hey! how are yalll
I love tigers
Carole. Not sure if you read every single comment but thank you for your hard work. Thanks to Netflix for airing that show because as as a result it exposed the brutality of people towards animals. THEY ALL SHOULD BE BEHIND BARS ALONG WITH JOE. Every one who was involved in this series. There is a bill sitting on Congress. Thats where we need to tackle. It deserves Media Attention. If it requires signatures to pass it, lets get it. People should be punished for allowing animals to suffer at their hands. Only state-run zoos should have wild animals. Nobody else. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for your kind words. Yes we need to get the bill to pass yet in 2022 if we want to have any chance on saving big cats in the wild. I will pass on your kindness to Carole.