Gilligan

Male Canada lynx
Appx. 1/1/07
Rescued 5/5/13

 

 

Gilligan’s age is unknown. We were told he was purchased along with Skipper at an auction.

Gilligan had the tiniest cage measuring 5′ x 7′. It was also the dirtiest of all of the cages. The mud floor was not mud, but feces covered with a sprinkling of straw. It appeared as though Gilligan had tried to keep much of his waste confined to one area on top of his plastic dog house. He had perched atop the house day after day to defecate. The large pile of feces cascaded out of the side of his cage. It was clear that his cage had not been cleaned in several months.

Strewn about the cage were bits of meat, bones and fur. The dog house was too small for Gilligan to fit in and other than a small child’s play picnic table he had nowhere to escape the weather. He was forced to sleep in the open and surrounded by filth.

Because Gilligan’s cage was so small there was not enough room for Big Cat Rescuers to enter it with nets and a crate. So using wire that they had brought, they constructed a secondary enclosure to the door of his and inside placed the crate filled with soft dry hay. Gilligan was unsure about this new crate and despite its appeal of warmth and dryness he refused to enter it. He was left to contemplate entering the crate on his own while Big Cat Rescuers moved on to try and catch Skipper.

After Skipper was captured and carried to the Big Cat Rescue trailer, Gilligan had still refused to enter the crate. With no other options he was sedated with a blow dart. He quickly fell asleep and Dr. Justin did a full exam. After the exam he was gently placed in the crate and given the reversal agent for the tranquilizer.

When he awoke he was in a soft bed of hay being loaded into the trailer for his long trip back to Tampa.

Gilligan seems absolutely blissful in his new enclosure. In his first days he constantly sniffed all around soaking in the fresh air. He was also quite amazed with the wildlife that abounds at the sanctuary from cardinals, to lizards, to squirrels, he is very observant and intently watches as they flit and scurry about.

Sponsor Gilligan the Canada Lynx:  http://big-cat-rescue.myshopify.com/collections/sponsor-a-cat

 

 

Read more about the rescue and see photos and videos https://bigcatrescue.org/most-daring-rescue-ever/

 

See More About Gilligan:

Gilligan watches Skipper the Canada Lynx get caught and taken to the vet in this Wildcat Walkabout Video on May 1, 2014 – https://bigcatrescue.org/now-big-cat-rescue-may-2-2014/

 

Gilligan Moves to an A/C Den

 

 

 

 

2015 Gilligan Goes to the Vet