Dec 27 2016

Keeper Log

Hoover Tiger was cleared by the vet to be allowed full access to his forest and lake. Watch for him at explore.org/bigcatrescue at Tiger Lake.

Note: You can find the links to all the big cat cams at BigCatCams.com

Frosty Serval is on poop watch. As soon as he is pooping, he can go back outside.

Zouletta Serval is being watched to see if she will consume a full meal at a single sitting so that she can be considered for release back to her Cat-a-Tat.

Holiday Tours

266 guests yesterday and more than 200 already this morning have made for a busy schedule for all of us who are doing our regular work and leading and backing up tours as well. It’s a great way to educate so many people and raise the money necessary to feed the cats and provide their lifetime care. Tours are guided, educational, quiet and calm so as not to disturb the cats. Learn about the various tours by going to BigCatRescue.org/tickets/ and clicking on the name of each tour to see how they differ.

My PURR-sonal favorite tour is the Keeper Tour because guests make Enrichment goodies for the cats and then walk around in a small quiet group with a senior or master keeper to see the cats get and enjoy the goodies. All of our tours are designed to be educational. Therefore, in this small group tour you also learn about the cats and about big cat issues.

If you have been here please say hello in the comments at the bottom of the page. If you have not been here and have any questions about the tours please ask in the comments at the bottom of this page.

Keeper Fun Notes

Keisha Tiger: Keisha has a new favorite spot in her enclosure. It took me a minute to find her! ~Keeper Rebecca W

Can YOU find Keisha in this photo?

Keeper Rebecca finally found Keisha in her new favorite hiding spot. Each morning one of a keeper’s duties is to look the cat over from head to tail. That can be hard if they can’t find the cat.

Cats in the wild get to make all kinds of decisions for themselves. Cats in captivity have many decisions and choices made for them. Here are Big Cat Rescue we know we cannot give these cats freedom in the wild, however, we can give them some choices they can make for themselves. Hiding is a choice we can give them. ALL the cats are given sunny places, shady places, more than one den, high places, low places, and places to hide. We feel the cats should be able to choose if they want to be seen or if they want to hide. However, first thing every morning we insist on getting a good look at every cat. If they are hiding it takes a little more effort to get that early morning look. Cats LOVE to hide if they think you are looking for them and Keisha is no exception.

Keeper Rebecca walked around the perimeter of Keisha‘s enclosure and eventually found her. Silly Keisha, she KNEW Rebecca was looking for her. LOL, the smart girls also knew Rebecca was not carrying treats!

Cheetaro Leopard: Most describe Cheetaro as stealthy, scary and handsome. But I love it most when he acts goofy. I threw in this spice bag and he came racing out of his den. He pounced on it and rolled over on top of it and then ultimately sat there with it between his paws with that “this is mine” look. ~Keeper Lynda L

Big cats are highly intelligent. Living in cages for such intelligent beings has to be hard. This is why our amazing keepers will go above and beyond making sure all the cats gets some daily Enrichment. Keeping their minds and bodies busy and alleviating boredom is so important to their over all health.

Bobcat Rehab & Release Project Update

Three of the new rehab cages are mostly done and the 4th is just getting started. We can’t use any of them until the 4th one is done because as soon as the next bobcat comes into rehab the area has to go quiet until the cat is released, which means no more construction. Our plan is to do 8, but we want to use the first four to be sure we don’t want any modifications in the next set of 4. As for fundraising, we have raised enough for the first 4, I think, or close to it.

Learn more about our wild bobcat rehab and release project at: http://bigcatrescue.org/bobcat-rehab/

Announcing Today’s Facebook Winner

Each day that Carole does a Facebook Live video she asks a question and someone who answers it correctly wins a prize. So, go to Facebook and Like our Facebook Page and choose to get notifications of our live videos. Then participate in the contests, join in conversations in the comments area, too.

Lauren Drake was the first to answer that the tunnels lead from the tigers to the Vacation Rotation.

Facebook Live Videos

BCR VIDEOS

VIDEO ONE: Mrs. Claws And Her Christmas Cookie

It would not be the holidays without checking in on Mrs. Claws and her Christmas cookie, Nabisco. Check out how they are getting along. These two love birds have their own Tee. See the info about it below.

VIDEO TWO: Catching Up With the New Cats

This video was originally posted on BigCatTV.com on Nov 1, 2016 and is being reposted today due to multiple requests. Thank you for asking.

When our newest rescues arrived, we knew very little about them. After doing some investigating and talking to volunteers from Spirit Of The Hills, we learned more information and the background stories about these six big cats.

Big Cat Gift Shop

Brand NEW: Nabisco Loves Mrs. Claws Tee

A brand new tee has hit the shelves. YOU requested it, we got it! It is available in nine different colors.

Get YOURS at: https://big-cat-rescue.myshopify.com/products/shirt-nabisco-loves-mrs-claws-womens-scoop

Have YOU Gotten YOUR 2017 Big Cat Calendar, Yet?

13-month glossy color calendar features the big cats who call Big Cat Rescue home. Each month you will enjoy a fabulous big cat image to go wild over! Only a limited number will be printed, so to ensure you receive your 2017 Big Cat Rescue calendar order it today! The calendar is approximately 8.5″ x 11″ when closed, 17″ x 11″ when fully open.

http://big-cat-rescue.myshopify.com/products/calendar-big-cat-rescue

Viewer Videos From Explore.org/bigcatrescue

VIDEO ONE: Mrs. Claws (AKA Missy) Scared by Her Red Ball

This video was posted on YouTube by Katie Miller on July 25, 2016. THANK YOU, Katie.

Did YOU Know? YOU CAN go to Explore.org/BigCatRescue and watch some great quality live streaming cams of the cats here and record videos, too.

Global Cat News

These are not articles written by us but instead are articles about cats from around the world. Did YOU Know? The comment sections on news articles about cats is a great place to help educate others about big cat issues.

Cheetah ‘more vulnerable to extinction than previously thought’ https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/dec/27/cheetah-more-vulnerable-to-extinction-than-previously-thought?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Caption This

This photo is on our Facebook page as a “CAPTION THIS” If you have a witty or funny caption for this photo of Sundari Leopard please click on the photo to be taken to our Facebook post of this photo so you can add your caption there. We really get a kick out of reading those funny captions.

Big Cat Kids

These two coloring pages are from a very special coloring book made specifically for us for an even called “March For Lions” a few years back by Pawstels artist, Melissa from Pawstels.com

Click on the small picture below to get the full size page to save and print.