rabies

Selfish Cub Petting Can Result in Death

The cub pay to play and photo schemes are at the very root of so many big cats suffering. Learn more at CubTruth.comPetting big cats and their babies can result in the cat's death. A tragic story unfolded that is the perfect example of that:In Springfield, Missouri a three week old bobcat kitten was found. She was taken to a rehabber there. The man who brought her to the rehabber ignorantly stuck his hand in her crate. The terrified little bobcat kitten bit him.Six days later, the Missouri's Springfield Greene County Health Dept. stepped in, took the kitten, killed her, cut off her head, and sent her brain out to be rabies tested. The kitten did not have rabies.  https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/06/01/bobcat-kitten-killed/361947001/Big Cat Rescue did everything they could to prevent it and many of their fans spoke out in an effort to save the healthy bobcat kitten. BCR offered to pay for the thousands of dollars in rabies shots, if the man would take them instead of having the kitten killed. Sadly in the end, the precious little kitten lost her life because a human just had to stick his hand in with her.The law states that ANY time an exotic animal was involved in a bite, they must be killed and tested for rabies. There is no quarantine time, like in dogs and cats, because no one has ever studied the incubation time of rabies in exotics.  If you were to be bitten or scratched, even if you were willing to take the rabies shots, the cat, kitten or cub would still be killed and tested.People who love exotic cats don't put a selfie above the value of a cat's life.Big Cat Rescue will not risk the lives of the cats there for a selfish desire to touch them. We are also are committed to ending the suffering of big cats and their babies and believe firmly that setting an example by actions, not just by words is important to achieve that goal.