July 21 2017

Big Cat Updates

Arthur says, “Happy Friday!”

Photo submitting by Viewer Donna Morefield

 Nova Bobcat Update

Nova is FREE!!!

Nova was brought to Big Cat Rescue on January 31, 2017 when she was approximately seven weeks old.  She had apparently been separated from her mom during a storm.  A well-meaning person captured her in a bucket and kept her alive for five days until the Florida Wildlife Commissions stepped in. She was given to a school owned facility that housed non-releasable wild animals.   The caregivers felt that because of her feisty attitude she might be a candidate for release. That is when they called Big Cat Rescue.

This three minute video from February 2017 tells you all about how Nova came to be at Big Cat Rescue.  She her arrival, her first exam, which she did NOT like at all, etc.

This two and a half minute video is from May 2017 and shows you our new rehab center and shows you how much this feisty little girl has grown.

Viewer Videos of Nova during her rehab

On July 20, 2017 Nova was released back into the wild.

Feisty little Nova did not waste any time sprinting to freedom.

Afton will make a polished video using footage from all the different camera angles as soon as she gets some time at her desk.   We want to that the intern who was handed the phone to capture this video for you.  She had not done it before and was very nervous but we think she did great.

Photos of Nova’s Release

Putting out a wildlife cam so we can come back later and see how she is doing.

Getting everything ready

Run, Nova, Run

Jamie being interviewed sharing Nova’s story with the world.

THANK YOU, Keeper Brittany Mira for capturing this wonderful event in photos.

Visit Nova’s page to leave note for / about her:  http://BigCatREscue.org/nova/

Learn more about our wild bobcat Rehab and Release program at http://BigCatRescue.org/bobcat-rehab/

See Jamie’s presentation all about about our wild bobcat Rehab and Release program and see some bobcats that have previously gone through our program and are now living wild and free.

BigCatTV.com

Many people love the beautiful white tiger, but believe it or not, this is an inbred animal and not subspecies of tiger at all. We expose the truth…

The ONLY way to produce a tiger or lion with a white coat is through inbreeding brother to sister or father to daughter; generation after generation after generation. The kind of severe inbreeding that is required to produce the mutation of a white coat also causes a number of other defects in these big cats.

The same gene that causes the white coat causes the optic nerve to be wired to the wrong side of the brain, thus all white tigers are cross eyed, even if their eyes look normal. They also often suffer from club feet, cleft palates, spinal deformities and defective organs.

The white coat is a double recessive gene so most of the cubs born through this inbreeding have normal coloring but they too suffer the same defects and are referred to in the trade as “throw away tigers.” As such, they are often killed at birth because only the white tigers are the big money makers. And because none of these cats are purebred (they are all crosses between Bengal tigers and Siberian tigers), they serve no conservation purpose.

You can end the misery by just Saying NO to any place that breeds or exploits white tigers.

Did you know that there is no such species as a Royal White Bengal Tiger?  If you didn’t know that, don’t feel bad, you were deceived just like millions of others.  Read on to learn the truth about white tigers, white lions, tabby tigers and other genetic aberrations.  Print the White Tiger Fact Sheet Brochure

Learn more about white tigers at http://WhiteTigerLies.com

Watch for Monday’s posts and updates on this subject!!

News & Articles

Article: Dade City’s Wild Things blocks PETA officials at gates for court-ordered site inspection
DADE CITY — Dade City’s Wild Things founder Kathy Stearns refused to let People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals officials enter her facility on Thursday for a court-ordered inspection, court filings show.

The inspection was granted by a federal judge so PETA experts could observe the care and housing of 22 tigers on the property. PETA sued Wild Things in October, alleging its tiger cub encounter business, in which visitors can pay to cuddle or swim with weeks-old cubs, violates the Endangered Species Act.

A judge had granted an emergency injunction July 14, ordering Stearns not to remove any of the tigers from the zoo after PETA officials said they learned Stearns “was scheming to transfer its tigers” before the scheduled inspection.

But on Sunday, 19 tigers arrived at the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma after a 1,200-mile journey on a cattle truck, entertainment director Joe Maldonado confirmed. Maldonado said a pregnant tiger gave birth during the haul and all three cubs died.

He said he did not know the whereabouts of the other three tigers cited in the court order.  CLICK HERE to read the rest of the article.

FROM CAROLE:

I just came across this article, that may be of interest to you.

Bill and Kiz came to us in 2011 looking for the cubs they had known in 1996 (Andre, Arthur & Amanda and some others) The cats had been rescued from a backyard breeder in NJ in 2003 http://bigcatrescue.org/joan-byron-marasek-tigers-only-preservation-society/ and sent to a sanctuary in TX.

By 2011 the Texas facility was in bankruptcy and animal protection groups, including HSUS and IFAW were desperately trying to relocate 400 lions, tigers, bears, chimps, etc. They were down to the last 7 tigers when Bill Nimmo came to Big Cat Rescue and asked me to help him find the cats he used to know.

We were in the process of transporting a cougar from a woman who had died, leaving 20+ cats in a dilapidated horse barn in her back yard, to a good sanctuary out in Nevada called Wildlife Haven. The owner had the space, but not the staff to transport the cat. On the trip back, my daughter, Jamie Veronica, stopped by Wild Animal Orphanage in San Antonio, TX to take photos of the last remaining tigers and see if she could stripe match them against the photos Bill and Kiz had of the cubs from 1996.

Astonishingly, Arthur, Andre and Amanda were still alive and still together. Bill and Kiz paid all of the expenses to rescue those three and send them to us where they continue to support the cats. They weren’t going to leave 4 other tigers behind, so they rescued them and sent them to Carolina Tiger Rescue in N.C.

Kiz’ story picks up from there about how finding those long lost cats changed their lives and the trajectory of their retirement. The Colorado rescue she speaks about is where the cats you met today, Gabrielle, Andy, Seth and Priya (who we passed but didn’t visit) all came from.

http://bulletin.swarthmore.edu/summer-2017-issue-iv-volume-cxiv/american-tiger

Does hearing about Big Cat Abuse Upset You?

If it does, THE DO SOMETHING to stop it!

YOU have the power!

YOU have the tools!

It’s easy!  It’s Quick! It’s free!

All you have to do, is DO IT!

Go to BigCatAct.com to make the Call of the Wild.  It is the most important thing you can do to help stop the abuse and exploitation of big cats and their babies.

Need more details and want to see screenshots of how easy making the Call of the Wild is?  Go to http://bigcatrescue.org/cta-call-wild/ to get step by step instructions illustrated with screenshots of exactly how easy this is to do.

Keeper Corner

From July 7th – Jamie using a blow dart to sedate Cheetaro.    Cheetaro spent a little time in the hospital.  He then spent some time in one of our geriatric cages until we were sure he wouldn’t fall off of his platform.  he is now back in his cage and acts like nothing was ever wrong.

Jamie:  This little girl went home, to the wild, yesterday.  Be free, Nova!

Jamie:  Apache is such a distinguished old man.

Photo by Jamie July 13 – Cameron LOVES his yellow tire toy.  He can often be seen playing with it like this.

 Where’s Waldo .. Uh.. I mean Seth & Andy

Viewer Donna Morefield:  Find the TIGERS! Both Seth and Andy are in this picture.

 BCR Website Updates

Big Cat Rescue’s website has well over 10,000 pages.  From time to time pages get updated and new pages are always being added.

Updated Pages:

• Nova

Pages to Check Out:

• Big Cat Rescue’s International Tiger Day 2017 Project – Please join us in saving wild tigers from drowning in open wells!Big Cat Rescue will match the profit from your purchases of our International Tiger Day merchandise – and any donations you make on that merchandise page – dollar for dollar up to $5000 and donate it to the Corbett Foundation’s Insitu work to protect wild tigers, leopards and other animals in India from falling into open farm wells. The funds will be used to construct fences around the wells, keeping the big cats from falling into these very deep wells and drowning.  SEE This Page for more info and photos!

 Viewer Videos From Explore.org/bigcatrescue

Here is a list of YouTube channels that feature videos of the cats here:

• Jamie Veronica:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsY6X3rUv8UlIUbrxNeu-Aw
• Susann  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUFOZiTvzKRvj-oVbzdByvg
• Ruxandra https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvCsjKptd1gM9BhfDkGQGNg
• Donna P:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcFbhMc8Sqr-8MreWuYr4Bg
• Shawna https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfl9S-vDPJIgjl8QpM6Aypw
• Cathy S https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6ynHBFLKj0BVnK5jo2gTnw
• Jaime T: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsY_oF0NhXc5OS8CcTaUi2A/videos

Global News

Article One:  Son of Cecil the lion killed by trophy hunter

There are numerous reports circulating in the last few hours that Xanda, the 6-year-old eldest son of Cecil the lion, has been killed by trophy hunters in Zimbabwe when he roamed outside of the protected area. Xanda had his own young cubs. Another senseless trophy hunting death! RIP #Xanda

Article Two – Sign the pledge to end trophy hunting:  https://secure.humanesociety.org/site/Advocacy;jsessionid=00000000.app325b?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=7222&autologin=true&s_src=em_ha_072017&NONCE_TOKEN=A42FAE0BAAFEB945F2F87B0F7B7DD0CD

 Quick Links

As per viewer suggestions, Quick Links now has it’s very own page http://bigcatrescue.org/quick-links/

Bookmarking it will help you find things quickly.  That will come in handy for:

• Helping us answer questions on social media
• Finding answers to some of Carole’s Facebook Live questions

 WANTED – Graphic Artists

Carole is looking for a graphic artist who really gets what we are all about and would would like to help us with some graphics for shirts.  If that is you or if you know someone like that, please have them email Carole at cat@bigcatrescue.org