Keepers Log

From Afton to the Keepers:

“Priya is now outside across from Cameron and Zabu. She only has access to the stage platform. PLEASE KEEP TOURS AWAY FROM HER. Do not bring tours past Cameron and Zabu, and skip the vacation rotation so we can give Priya some privacy. Duchess is in the one enclosure next to her that the Texas tigers usually occupy.

When separating Nabisco and Mrs.Claws, please use the rope and pulley on Mrs. Claws side to shut the tunnel door. Then you must clip the door shut so little biscuit doesn’t push his way through.”

Later Afton followed up with:

“Today Priya went back outside as you saw on the update, and her cage has shade cloth. If anyone notices Cameron be a bother to her, we may want to hang up another layer. We are using clips and the tan shade cloth with the eye holes. Just be sure no tours are going back that way so that we do not disturb her. She was not super thrilled about the move so she may be kind of cranky again.

Josie‘s shade cloth got put up on her side of the vacation tunnel.

There are a few things that need to get done over the weekend. The transport cage needs to be thoroughly disinfected as well as the outdoor hospital cage to prepare for Gabrielle‘s procedure.

Also the Kitten Cabana will be empty because the kittens have the runs. With that being said, the kitten cabana needs to be thoroughly disinfected as well. Please email Karma and let her know when it has been completed to we can see about Rebecca bringing in her kittens in the mean time.

Project for Carole: Carole would like all of the little cat lockouts to have the duck wire around them in a specific way. She wants it to look just like Zimba/Zouletta‘s lockout closest to Gilligan. A list needs to be made of all of the lockouts that NEED to look that way. She bought three rolls of wire that are outside of food prep and a little roll in the project trailer. Carole will be picking up more.

When the CGM cooler guy shows up to install the on/off switch, ask if there is a thermostat for adjusting the temperature. Meat is not thawing on time because the cooler is VERY cold. Working with frozen meat is not that fun.

If you are looking for more projects feel free to contact Kathryn, Lauren, Karma or myself as we have a list. Thank you!!”

Foster Kittens Adopted

“Congratulations to Manny, Tot and Trish who got adopted into forever homes this week. Lets’s keep our fingers crossed for momma’s Sassy & Meredith, who are still waiting for their purrmanent homes!

I took all the Himalayan kittens to the Humane Society today. They ran more tests and I ran fecal floats. All were negative. They were sent home on Metronidazole and sensitive tummy formula food to see if that helps.

For now, they will remain home and out of the Cabana for a minimum of five days and the diarrhea has to be firming up. The Kitten Cabana must be thoroughly disinfected before bringing them back or any others in.” – Karma

Saving Priya Tiger’s Life in 360

Priya is 1 of 5 tigers recently rescued from a facility in Colorado. She was sedated and diagnosed with hydrometra. You can learn more about this by watch the procedure in 360.

Good Grief!

This morning’s dialogue w/ LaWanna:

LaWanna says, “When you refer to the cubs (Ares, Orion, and Artemis) you might mention they are 11 years old and we just CALL them the cubs. Half the internet thought we had new cubs, now the haters jumped on board saying we secretly had a litter of cubs to sell, and it all started with just TWO people very innocently commenting on your video asking “What cubs?””

Carole’s answer, “I usually do clarify. Must have missed one mention.”

Good grief!

NOTE To Our Viewers: YOU are ALWAYS invited to ask questions! We do NOT mind your questions. We feel that if you are asking questions it means you care about the cats!

TOYS For New Cats!! THANK YOU!!

On a happier note, we were going to post a request for the remaining toys we needed for our recent rescues, but Jamie just alerted LaWanna and I with this:

“Someone just purchased the 8 remaining toys for around $1500!!!!

So, THANKS TO ALL OF YOU, who liked, commented on, and shared our post requesting toy sponsors, ALL of the new cats have new toys on the way!!!!!!!

Thank you so much for helping get these toys sponsored! I went ahead and added some more options for existing residents in case people still go to the link.”

If YOU have a favorite cat here and would like to PURR-chase that cat a new toy for Christmas, you can. https://big-cat-rescue.myshopify.com/products/donation-big-cat-toys If the cat you want to give a gift to is not in that list drop me an email at lawanna.mitchell@bigcatrescue.org and I’ll check with Jamie and Carole to see what your favorite cat needs, or might want, and get right back to you.

Big Cat News from Around the World

Kim Jong-un’s Christmas drinks to include booze from tiger and bear bones. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/kim-jong-uns-christmas-drinks-9419084

LA Councilmember Ryu sponsors ordinance prohibiting wild/exotic animal exhibitions. http://tricountysentry.com/blog/la-councilmember-ryu-sponsors-ordinance-prohibiting-wildexotic-animal-exhibitions/

The Madhya Pradesh high court on Wednesday granted the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) six weeks to reply to a PIL filed challenging the erecting iron fencing on periphery of tiger safaris inside the buffer zones of Pench and Bandhavgarh tiger reserves. http://www.hindustantimes.com/bhopal/mp-high-court-grants-tiger-authority-6-weeks-to-reply-to-safari-pil/story-9CqUzXva98uiMs2Vxj9YhO.html

Mumbai: Male leopard released after 22 days of captivity. http://www.asianage.com/metros/mumbai/081216/mumbai-male-leopard-released-after-22-days-of-captivity.html

Photo may show a new wild jaguar in S. Arizona. http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/120716_jaguar/photo-may-show-new-wild-jaguar-s-arizona/

Record 31st panther road kill reported. http://www.news-press.com/story/news/2016/12/07/record-31st-panther-road-kill-reported/95098852/

What could it be? Picture of big cat creates local stir. http://www.andalusiastarnews.com/2016/12/08/what-could-it-be-picture-of-big-cat-creates-local-stir/

A tiger cub, believed to be less than 10-months-old, was found dead in Sigur Range in Masinagudi near the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in the Nilgiris. http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/Tiger-cub-found-dead/article16773793.ece

Tiger Mowed Down By Moving Train In Madhya Pradesh. http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/tiger-mowed-down-by-moving-train-in-madhya-pradesh-1634646

A multi-agency group of officials entered the Simón Bolívar Zoo on Monday morning and seized Kivú the lion to take him to what is now his new home at Zoo Ave, a private animal sanctuary located in Alajuela province. http://www.ticotimes.net/2016/12/05/kivu-lion-new-home

Gary Whyte’s property in Cowdenbeath was searched after wildlife officers were told of tiger claws being put up for sale on an online auction site.

The 50-year-old was convicted under the Control of Trade in Endangered Species Regulation, and has been ordered to carry out 250 hours unpaid work. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-38213704

Imagine a situation of getting attacked by a big cat? What would you do? Your first reaction? Well, we possibly can never think of such an incident, but a lion-hearted 22-year-old (no pun intended) fought off a fierce wild leopard to save his life. The dramatic episode occurred when Suman Roy, a daily-wage labourer, was attacked by the big cat when he was returning from work in Malbazar in the Dooars. http://www.india.com/buzz/leopard-attacks-a-22-year-old-in-dooars-west-bengal-braveheart-fights-off-the-big-cat-to-become-a-local-hero-1688681/

The Adilabad tiger found dead in Chennur reserve forest area on Saturday was the 86th tiger killed this year indicating that the big cat’s mortality has increased more than 25 per cent in 2016 when compared to previous year. http://www.deccanchronicle.com/lifestyle/pets-and-environment/051216/tiger-deaths-jump-25-per-cent-in-2016-in-telangana.html

Kudos to the Passaic County freeholders for their compassionate, forward-thinking decision to protect animals. Circuses deprive animals of everything that is important and natural to them. Crammed onto long-haul trucks and confined to cages in which they can barely move, they can’t socialize, forage, play, choose a mate or simply move about wherever they please.

Animals suffer when forced to endure long periods of inactivity. An animal behaviorist who recently observed tigers who are used in a circus found that most of them were overweight and some were obese, which puts them at risk of developing arthritis, liver and kidney failure, and heart disease. A growing number of municipalities, including San Francisco, Cambridge, Mass., and Asheville, N.C., have severely restricted exotic animal acts or banned them altogether. As more and more cities and counties do the same, it’s clear that the days of hauling chained and caged animals around the country are quickly coming to an end.

Craig Shapiro http://www.northjersey.com/story/opinion/readers/2016/12/02/letter-passaic-county-right-protect-animals/94803718/

A Houston woman accused of letting tigers, monkeys, a skunk and other animals roam freely through the family’s home last month took aim at police Friday, saying her animals were all caged until officers asked to take selfies with them. We don’t believe her. Do you? http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Claws-come-out-Tiger-lady-claims-police-wanted-10688322.php

Public Outreach

An organization focusing on journalist & authors asked for a list of all our free iBooks. They are giving away 100 iPads to college journalist students and are loading them each with 100 iBooks. They LOVED the Big Cat Care book so much they put it on all 100 iPads AND are going to feature it in their Christmas e-newsletter that goes to colleges across the country.

YOU can download and enjoy our free books as well. They are available as iBooks, Kindle, & PDFs. Go to ChatBigCats.com/books/. to request YOUR free books!

Facebook LIVE Winner

Robin Clemmer Frye won with ANDY, SETH, GABRIELLE, AND CHARAKA as being the cats who arrived with Priya Tiger. She decided to donate a turkey to Nikita Lion.