Today at Big Cat Rescue Oct 12

Two days left to help us get to number one in the Albertsons contest: http://www.albertsonscpchallenge.com/index.php

Volunteers watching Aspen Echo cougar get her pumpkin

Ares cougar is so excited that Big Cat Rescuers are putting a pumpkin in his cage

Chris filming Aspen Echo the puma playing soccer with her pumpkin

Rescuers take a break in their day to watch pumpkins being handed out to cats

Bullet holes found in our fence on Monday by Jade & Armani leopards

Sassyfras cougar watches Jamie filming Aspen Echo the cougar

Gale lets me know that the new freezer door is going to cost $1400.

Board member Mary Lou locks tunnel for Bella tiger so Gale can weed

Arthur tiger really likes his new toy. We will have to monitor for safety.

Modnic tiger is looking good after her surgery and likes new tiger Arthur next door

Cheetaro leopard doing his best im-purr-sonation of cuteness

Note the time stamp on computer is 1:44 am when Jamie is still up working on the news

Big Cat Rescue Helping Others

Animal People’s Merritt Clifton recently reported on Big Cat Rescue in the 2011 Animal PEOPLE Watchdog report saying”…e-mailed newsletters, reaching more than 70,000 people, often include appeals for other sanctuaries and pro-animal projects.” He went on to say in a letter to a reporter, “Big Cat Rescue is usually regarded as one of the three most reputable sanctuaries for large & exotic cats in the U.S., and one of the top four or five in the world.”

Some of the ways that Big Cat Rescue reaches out to help others is that we always offer at least a dozen free field trips or outreach events to those who cannot afford and a sliding scale for others. While we make it our mission to give at least 12 of these away each year, we always end up giving 20 or more and are already at 20 for 2011. This year has included free tours for YMCA groups, children at risk, Little Cats Rescue, a school for those with dyslexia, Creative Clay which helps the disabled find themselves in art, VA seniors, orphans, and many others.

In addition to these Carole Baskin gives group tours to the Ethics class taught by Jason Sears at Eckerd College each year, and to the Animal Law students taught by Jennifer Dietz, Esq. at Stetson. She also spoke to Dr. Frank Hamilton’s class at Eckerd College on the power of social marketing for a cause. Frank and his wife Linda operate Animal Coalition of Tampa, a low cost spay and neuter facility. Big Cat Rescue was a long time assistant to their work to spay and neuter feral cats before they had a facility of their own and still gives free passes to all of their high level donors at their Stride for Strays fundraiser.

We help get the word out for other wild cat protection groups and Makenna O’Meara, of the Snow Leopard Trust said, “I know we are going to get a tremendous amount of votes because of your generosity!” when she saw the video that we created to help them win a BBC contest. You can see this awesome video here: http://youtu.be/5r46NSPE2LY . We also recently hosted the conference attended by all of the HSUS sanctuary leaders, complete with vegan snacks and a list of all the best vegetarian caterers.