October 4 2018

Big Cat Updates

September S.A.V.E. Award, Big Cat Rescue Share Team update, New 10-day-old bottle kitten named Toodles, Explore.org/bigcatrescue short video clip highlights, Coordinator report by Lauren Grant, Walkabout videos, etc.

Alexa Flash News Briefing

Carole mentions the Big Cat Rescue Share Team that works together to help spread Big Cat Rescue's posts and mission throughout Facebook in the various groups as a way to reach new people who are interested in saving big cats and their babies from a life of abuse and exploitation.

Coordinator Report - Lauren Grant

We had a great day today!  We had lots of volunteers to help with cleaning and feeding and getting some projects done.

Reise's old enclosure was finished being fixed up.  Cam & Zabu's open-air section was mowed and the platform water bowl was cleaned. Outside of the intern housing was cleaned up of branches and weeds, and it was mowed. It looks great now!

Reise came out of her den a few times today and seemed to be in a much better mood. She even ate well.  We also got a bunch of enrichment and operant sign-offs done.

Barb Nicholas did a fabulous pruning job around Gabby's enclosure, too!!

Meet Toodles - 10-Day Old Bottle Kitten

Kitten Karma said we are in need of Miracle Nipples for Toodles, our new bottle baby. Here is the link to the item we really need some more of. https://smile.amazon.com/Miracle-Nipple-Mini-Wildlife-Syringe/dp/B00SQIHIJO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1538674592&sr=8-1&keywords=miracle+nippel+kitten

If you can order some can you have them shipped to:
Kitten Karma c/o BigCatRescue
12802 Easy Street
Tampa, Florida 33625

Videos of the Day

Kitten Karma came back from the Tampa Bay Humane Society with our first bottle baby of the season! His name is Toodles and he is 10 days old weighing only 6oz!

Bottle baby Kitten Feeding at Big Cat Rescue - Big Cat Rescue Interns foster kittens from the Tampa Bay Humane Society until they are old enough to be spayed/neutered and adopted. Kitten Karma and Intern Tanya have a new 10-day old bottle baby named Toodles and this is his first feeding since he arrived.

Morning Q & A / Walkabout with Brittany

Highlights from Explore.org/BigCatRescue

These are clips from the past few days recorded from the various LIVE Streaming Webcams at Explore.org/bigcatrescue

Baby Bobcats Bird Watching - From the Bobcat Rehab webcam at Explore.org/bigcatrescue

Hoover Tiger's BIG Yawn - Wow Look at those big teeth! - From the Tiger Lake webcam at Explore.org/bigcatrescue

Four Baby Bobcats Wrestling - From the Bobcat Rehab webcam at Explore.org/bigcatrescue

Four Baby Bobcats Sleeping - From the Bobcat Rehab webcam at Explore.org/bigcatrescue

The BEST QUALITY live streaming webcams are found at Explore.org/bigcatrescue while all of those pawsome cam links and our lesser quality Nest cam links can be found at BigCatCams.com

Photos of the Day

Sneaky Loki the Savannah cat scurrying away to nap ❤️

Sneaky Loki the Savannah cat scurrying away to nap ❤️

Watch Nikita Lioness 24/7 at BigCatCams.com

Watch Nikita Lioness 24/7 at BigCatCams.com

Nala Serval's Sleepy Face

Nala Serval's Sleepy Face

Kali Tiger being beautiful as always ?❤️

Kali Tiger being beautiful as always ?❤️

S.A.V.E. Award September 2018

Scratch's Award for Volunteer Excellence, the SAVE Award

For outstanding volunteer service, the September SAVE Award goes to Megan Myers! Megan is very hard working. After spending the mornings cleaning enclosures or doing projects, she never fails to stay for the afternoon and help with tours. She stepped up and did gift shop chores all by herself so the interns could watch a veterinary procedure being done on one of our cats. After that, she helped get our appeal letters finished up. Megan anticipates what needs to be done before being asked, and does everything with a great attitude and a smile! She's a fantastic addition to BCR!

In honor of Megan, a $1,000 donation was made to OSA Conservation in Costa Rica to protect Margay, Ocelot, Jaguarundi, Cougar, and Jaguar!

Founded in 2003, Osa Conservation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the globally significant biodiversity of the Osa Peninsula, in Costa Rica, through the implementation of ecosystem stewardship, enhancing scientific understanding, providing education and training, and creating sustainable economic opportunities.

Osa is one of the last landscapes in Central America that can still sustain five species of wild cats in the region: Margay, Ocelot, Jaguarundi, Cougar, and Jaguar. The incredible region of the Osa, with its intense diversity and endemism, is at risk, with old forest growth declining, putting pressure on biodiversity, as the forests become increasingly fragmented and degraded. Within the Osa forest, these cats face threats from habitat fragmentation, the decrease of natural prey and increasing conflicts with humans and livestock. In 1999 the Osa was declared one of ninety “Jaguar Conservation Sites” of the world and one of the most important places for the conservation of this species, which is critically endangered in Costa Rica.

To better understand the conservation needs of wild cats and their prey, Osa Conservation initiated the Camera Trap Network for the Osa Peninsula in collaboration with National University of Costa Rica (UNA). This monitoring program is comprised of camera traps placed on properties throughout the Osa Peninsula- ranging from Corcovado National Park, local eco-lodges, private landowners and Osa Conservation properties and Piedras Blancas National Park. As part of the Osa Camera Trap Network, the cameras are placed in areas with high probability of cat presence. They take pictures based on a motion sensor so every time an animal passes by photographic evidence is obtained that we can be used to learn about population trends.

The aim of the Camera Traps was to identify the key priority conservation areas in addition to estimating the current density of Jaguar in the Osa Peninsula, estimating abundance of terrestrial mammals among the different protected areas in the Osa Peninsula, Identifying anthropogenic and environmental factors affecting the distribution and abundance of terrestrial mammals in the Osa Peninsula and evaluating the biological corridors in the Osa Peninsula.

http://osaconservation.org/projects/wildlife/osa-camera-trap-network/

Thrilling News!!  Charity Navigator Award 8 Years in a Row!

We are TRULY EXCITED and THRILLED to announce that Big Cat Rescue, for the 8th year in a row, has been awarded Charity Navigator's highest star award! Only 3% of charities have earned this award 8 years in a row! Check out the letter they sent us. Read the exciting letter we received from Charity Navigator at http://bigcatrescue.org/charity-navigator-2018/

2018 Charity Navigator Certificate