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Big Cat Rescue is International in its Scope of Services

 

Big Cat Rescue's vision is a world where the animals we share it with are treated with respect and caring and where habitat is preserved to insure the indefinite future survival of these wonderful gifts of nature.  In creating such a world, we hope the same principles of respect and caring will carry over to the way humans treat each other.

 

Mission Statement

Care of our cats. The narrow mission of Big Cat Rescue is to provide the best permanent home we can for the cats in our care.  We do this by building enclosures in a very natural habitat with foliage and shelter on our 45 acre site, by providing the best nutritional and medical care possible, and by having active operant conditioning and enrichment programs to provide for their physical and psychological well being.

Education. The broader mission of the sanctuary is to reduce the number of cats that suffer the fate of abandonment and/or abuse and to encourage preservation of habitat and wildlife.  We urge people to behave in a way that will support these goals by teaching people about the plight of the cats, both in the wild and in captivity. We accomplish this through educational guided tours, educational programs for young people, and by maintaining a website that we believe is the world's largest and best resource for information about exotic cats.

In order to reach these goals we provide a number of services.  We provide a permanent retirement home to over 100 exotic cats who were unwanted, abandoned or abused.  This facility is known, world wide, as Big Cat Rescue and located in Tampa, Florida.  The animals who live here were rescued from fur farms, circus and night club acts, pet owners, zoos and research laboratories.  Unlike any other big cat sanctuary our residents all live in spacious enclosures that typically exceed 1200 square feet and which include trees, bushes and lots of things for a busy cat to enjoy.

Volunteers:  We have 120 volunteers, but it only takes one, like Daphne Butters, who lives in England and has been coming to Big Cat Rescue annually since 2001, to make a big impact internationally.  Whilst here, she works on site, but more importantly, she takes her experiences and knowledge gained at Big Cat Rescue and uses it in various educational environments in Great Britain.

She started by writing articles about her experiences for publication in cat magazines, including The Maine Coon Cat Club Newsletter, Norwegian Forest Cat Club Newsletter, Seal & Blue Birman Cat Club Magazine and most recently, Our Cats Magazine.  As well as being entertaining, these articles were written to educate cat lovers about the plight of unwanted exotic cats in the USA. This was particularly alien to British readers, since the laws in the UK are much stricter and individuals cannot own an exotic cat without a specific license , making it impossible for most people to own a big cat.  Articles have appeared in the following Maine Coon Cat Club Newsletters: Spring 2002, Winter 2003, Winter 2004, Spring 2005, Winter 2006 and Spring 2007.  According to feedback, these articles have been very informative in terms of the difficulties of keeping big cats.  The first issue of a series of her Big Cat Rescue articles appeared in Our Cats magazine, issue 1102, 3^rd November 2006, catering for a wide audience in England who are interested in domestic cats.

Daphne works at Fir Vale School, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, a school catering to children aged 11 to 16 years.   Many of her students come from poor areas, some are refugees and a considerable number have English as a second or alternative language (ESOL).  This means that engagement in the classroom is often difficult since the children do not understand the English language well.  Most have no pets and have never touched a domestic cat.  They care little about the environment or the effect of poaching, climate change or deforestation on the planet.  Solomon's Cat, a play by David Holman which follows the adventures of a young Tanzanian boy as he tries to save a leopardess from poachers and fur traders, is widely used in her school as a teaching book.  After finishing the book, Daphne is invited into the class to talk to students about Big Cat Rescue (aided by photographs and video that she has taken at the sanctuary, since visual aids are vitally important to ESOL students).  She then discusses extinction and conservation, finishing off by asking students to visit the Big Cat Rescue website, choose a cat and prepare a PowerPoint Presentation on the animal to include diet, size, habitat and vulnerability in the wild.  This encourages students to carry out independent learning, improves their English language and their IT skills.   Students become passionate about their chosen cat when they deliver their presentations to the rest of the class during the following lesson.  In some students, this instigates an interest in animals, which the school supports by running a zoology club, under Daphne's supervision.

Continuously from 2002-2007, Daphne taught a course on animal care to a group of low ability students, who were incapable of following a standard curriculum timetable, either because of language difficulties or behavioral problems.  This included a module on animal welfare including wild animals in captivity and conservation in the wild and much of the module was based on information from Big Cat Rescue, including cage construction and enrichment.  As part of this, the students had to design an enrichment toy for a cat.  This was done after watching video taken at Big Cat Rescue, showing cats being given various forms of enrichment including pumpkins, balls, and scent impregnated paper bags.  The students all successfully gained an OCN Level 1 qualification in Improve Own Learning and also an ASDAN Bronze Award qualification ( UK recognized qualifications).  For most, this was the only qualification they left school with, and it helped to build up their esteem and encourage them to apply to go on to further education as well as develop an interest in animal care.

All state run schools in the UK follow the National Curriculum.  At Key Stage 3 (11-14 years) an area of study is 'Living Things in Their Environment and Feeding relationships'.  Within the science department at Fir Vale, Daphne teaches students about this subject using examples of animals at Big Cat Rescue, such as why wild cats are living closer to civilization because their natural habitat is being destroyed (e.g. Faith the bobcat's story).  Using true stories and actual video from Big Cat Rescue helps the children to understand the impact of human civilization development and has proved to be much more effective than using the textbooks alone.  They particularly like Faith's story since it has a positive ending when she is released back into the wild. It has been noted that exam results in this area have improved since this teaching method was included.

Daphne says that thanks to the knowledge and experiences gained at Big Cat Rescue, hundreds of students have benefited educationally over the last six years and are now much more aware of conservation issues worldwide, including ethical and financial problems, such as the plight of snow leopards and humans in the Himalayas.  She has organized debates between groups of students relating to this subject, and in particular, students at Fir Vale have a special interest in this area of the world since many are of Pakistani background.
Other schools in the Sheffield area are now becoming interested in the work that Daphne does at Fir Vale and she has been invited to visit other educational establishments to give talks about the zoology club and conservation, again giving presentations on the work of Big Cat Rescue.  After discussion with the school's senior management, it was felt this educational area would be of interest to many schools and Daphne is currently in negotiations with other schools in Sheffield, enabling her to give talks to younger pupils (5-11 years) to help them to understand and develop an interest in conservation and correct animal care, from an early age.

Something which started as a visit to an exotic cat sanctuary back in 2001 has now impacted on children in the UK, as well as adults though articles they have read.  Daphne hopes to continue to expand her use of Big Cat Rescue resources to engage people, especially children which are our future generations, in developing a much greater interest in conservation worldwide. The most important thing to note here is that Daphne is just one volunteer who has taken that passion out to other countries to share it with her kinsmen.

 

Big Cat Rescue Interns

Interns:  Big Cat Rescue hosts up to a dozen interns from around the globe for three month sessions.  There is no charge to the intern and housing, transportation and one night a week of social integration into the world outside our gates is provided.  An on site volunteer serves as a "den mother" to be sure that they eat, clean their rooms, do their laundry and have a great time.
 
During their time here, interns not only learn the best practices in animal care, they learn compassion for the animals as sentient beings and they learn how to get along with each other.  They learn each others customs and how to appreciate the value that each brings to the situation.  Before their time is up, they will have learned responsibility, gentleness, teamwork, self reliance, proper feeding and handling methods of wild carnivores and operant conditioning.  Interns are encouraged to stay current on conservation issues, and are taken out weekly to learn how to track animals in the wild and learn the names and uses of the plant species they encounter.  Interns will be capable of leading tours, public speaking, gift shop sales duties, customer services and a host of other skills that will enable them to earn a living that will enable them to give back to the animals and nature.  It is the best way that we can seed the planet with people who have respect and consideration for all life.

The following is a list of interns from around the globe in 2006-2007 who were selected by Big Cat Rescue as the best candidates to come spend 3 months on site.  Service dates are listed as date arrived-date departed.   

Victoria Mathieson  Cheshire, England   6/3/06 - 9/3/06
Sean Ramsdell  Ashburnham, MA  9/2/06 - 12/2/06
Laura Witheyman  W. Sussex, England  9/16/06 - 12/16/06
Chris Poole  Nottingham, United Kingdom  9/16/06 - 12/16/06
Heidi Rowley  Valley Center, CA 11/4/06 - 12/4/06
Shana Snowchowski  Boulder, CO 11/11/06 - 5/11/07
Sydney Cheong  Singapore, Singapore 1/28/07 - 2/28/07
Kelli Crockett   Marrieta, GA 1/20/07 - 3/20/07
Raju Naik  Gaithersberg, MD  1/6/07 - 4/6/07
Claire Fellman  Starkville, MS 1/6/07 - 4/6/07
Claudia Perryman  Sussex, England  2/18/06 - 5/18/06
Margi Shah  Ontario, Canada   9/16/06 - 12/16/06
Beth Wlaz   Annapolis, MD   3/31/07 - 6/30/07                         
Mike Ingrassia  Macomb, IL   5/18/07 - 8/18/07
Alex Irairte  Gainesville, FL   5/11/07 - 8/11/07
Nate Carr  Plains, PA  5/11/07 - 8/11/07
Daria Flushing, NY  5/18/07 - 8/18/07
Siobhan Simmonds  St. Cloud, FL   6/2/07 - 9/2/07
Robyn Kirkwood  Menlow Park, CA  8/11/07 - 11/11/07
Amanda Capobianco  E. Northport, NY  8/18/17 - 11/18/07
Nicole Perkins   Woodbridge, CT    8/18/17 - 11/18/07  

 
S.A.F.E. in the Wild

 

Saving Animals From Extinction in the Wild is a program whereby Big Cat Rescue supports conservation efforts around the world.  Our web site addresses local and global concerns about environment and has over 12,000 pages of information, movie clips, sounds, safe interactive online games with a conservation theme and photos.  The web site gets more than 32,000 unique visitors per day and in any given week the visitors will be roughly 34% from countries outside of the U.S. as you can see from this breakdown from a random week in 2006:

United States 25,620, United Kingdom 3,861, Canada 2,708, Australia 1,993, India 435, New Zealand 341, Germany 253, South Africa 225, Netherlands 131 and France124.  The information provided has helped wildlife rehabilitators identify animals and obtain proper care instruction, helped officials in smuggling cases to identify rare species of exotic cats being illegally traded and those are just a few of the ways that we know the site has had an impact this year.

In addition to providing information about conservation efforts around the world, Big Cat Rescue has actually funded some and provided services in others.  In 2006 5% of the proceeds from our annual gala, The Fur Ball, were donated to these conservation projects and the same is being done in 2007.  It is our intent to do so every year.

Africa:  In 2005 through 2007 Big Cat Rescue has provided both funds and volunteers to the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya .  Lewa relocates problematic wildlife to protected areas and provides education to children in the area who would not otherwise be able to read or write.  In addition to the funds that Big Cat Rescue donates, we also provide a U.S. market for Kenya 's craftsmen and send clothing with our volunteers to distribute when they visit.  Our volunteers, just like Daphne Butters above, take their skills and attitudes of compassion for all life into these barren regions and share a message of hope.

China, India, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia and Pakistan:  Every year since 1997 Big Cat Rescue has donated to the countries that are home to the Himalayan mountain range where the elusive snow leopard is found.  One whole corner of the gift shop explains how the sale of items made by the villagers helps save the snow leopard in the wild.  In 2006, Dr. Tom McCarthy, the Conservation Director for the Snow Leopard Trust, came to Big Cat Rescue to explain just how crucial each sale was to protect of these exquisite cats.  On September 27, 2006 the Executive Director of the Snow Leopard Trust, Brad Rutherford, came to Big Cat Rescue to tell us more about the work that is being done to save the snow leopard from the aspect of building relationships.

The snow leopard lives in regions where the average person makes the equivalent of $1.00 per day.  Most of the people who share the same highlands with the snow leopard are herders and to them, the loss of one sheep or goat can mean the difference in their survival.  Most of the snow leopards that are killed are retribution killings; meaning that the cat has been blamed for killing one of the herd and the herdsman has killed the next snow leopard he saw.  The herdsman can eat the cat and sell the hide for 25.00 which for them is a month's wage.  There are many other middle men along the way who are anxious to get their hands on a snow leopard pelt or penis for the Asian medicinal trade or for the black market.   The pelt dramatically becomes more valuable as it goes down the line and can cost $5,000.00 or more to the final buyer.  Brad pointed out, that it is a good thing that the dead animal is worth so little to the people who are most responsible for killing them however as that makes this practice far more financially feasible to stop.

The Snow Leopard Trust members in China, India, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia and Pakistan work closely with the local people to find out what they need.  In some cases, they can create handicrafts like those we sell and make five times what they can make from herding.  Over the years, the Snow Leopard Trust has brought in marketing people and craftsmen to show the local people how to create items that are marketable.

The programs are structured with reducing reliance on Snow Leopard Trust funds for each consecutive year and to remain in the program the community must ensure that no snow leopards are killed.  If anyone in the community kills a snow leopard, the entire community risks losing their right to participate in the program for a year and that is enough to keep everyone watching out for the snow leopard.  Their claims of protection must verified by the game wardens and governmental agencies who actually have incentives to discover poaching because they are often paid a portion of the confiscation if they can catch a poacher.

Brad told us that next to his organizations' founders' zoo in Seattle, Big Cat Rescue is the largest retailer for Snow Leopard Enterprises.

In 2007 we collected fecal samples from our captive snow leopards for the Snow Leopard Trust to use in training dogs to be able to tell one wild snow leopard from another just by sniffing the scat left behind.  This will greatly enhance conservation efforts and is a cost effective method as well.  The video we produced is being aired on our sites, and also being used as a marketing tool for the new program and the Snow Leopard Trust.

Guyana, South America:  In 2005 Big Cat Rescue President, Jamie Veronica, Marc Johnson, of Foster Parrots and paying eco tourism guests returned to Guyana to continue talks with the Amerindian people about the need for a wildlife protection and addressing this issue through the further development of an eco-tourism project.  They met with Guyana Member of Parliament Shirley Melville.  An Arawak Amerindian and a strong advocate for Amerindian rights, M.P. Shirley Melville had also been highly active in conservation and environmental protection issues. Embracing the project with tremendous enthusiasm, Nappi Village has dedicated 250 square miles of tribal territory asprotected conservation land and was chosen as the site for the first eco-tour lodge complex.

The country of Guyana, famously rich in bio-diversity, is one of the least populated tropical countries in the world with a population of only 850,000 inhabitants.  With only three percent of its 80,000 square miles inhabited it is, unfortunately, one of only two countries in South America that still legally exports parrots and other wildlife for the pet trade.  In fact, Guyana has been one of the top exporters of wild parrots in the world and remains active in trapping parrots, wild cats, primates, reptiles, sea turtles and various other land and sea animals.

Trapping and exportation of native species has been, for generations, one of Guyana 's only means of generating income for the indigenous people. However, closer examination of the trade in wildlife reveals grim realities of the animal export trade; decimation of native wildlife species and habitat is leading to irreversible elimination of the very source of income.  The native people, who are essential in the harvesting of these resources, earn an abysmal fraction of the value of the exported animals.  In a country where the average annual income is little more than $1,000.00, the income derived through the capture of wildlife and habitat destruction remains attractive.

The native Amerindian tribes of Guyana, now becoming aware of the need to protect their forests and wildlife, are expressing the desire to take control of the ecological destiny of their country rather than bow down to the exploitation of animal trades, miners and loggers currently at liberty to devastate Guyana 's natural heritage.

Project Guyana enables us to take the first steps towards protecting and preserving Guyana 's native wildlife by offering a more financially attractive and culturally desirable alternative to poaching.  Through the development of this viable eco-tourism project entire Amerindian communities can benefit from the income derived from hosting visitors, who are often sympathetic to their needs. Eco-tourism will create sustainable employment opportunities for the indigenous people of Guyana who can bring their acute knowledge of their natural resources and their many skills and crafts to a new and exciting international market.  It will not only lend economic strength to participating communities, but will provide a canopy of protection for the native species whose values as wild animals far exceeds the cost of a destructive and self-serving exotic pet trade.

Eco-Tour Attractions:  Visitors to Guyana will have a choice of tour itineraries ranging from an ambitious 3 and 4-day Kanuku Mountains hike that will bring them to the realm of the Harpy Eagle, to more leisurely tours that will encompass sightings of Red Bellied, Scarlet, Red and Green, Blue and Yellow Macaws, Giant Anteaters and a wide variety of primates.   Horseback and canoe excursions will let tour groups experience the wilds of Guyana at an intimate level.  Visitors can also travel to Kaeiteur Falls to witness one of the world's tallest single-drop waterfalls of 741 feet.   Construction on the first of two planned lodge complexes, located in Nappi Village, has been completed by the local tribes with funds from Foster Parrots and Big Cat Rescue.

Successful eco-tours were led from the US to Guyana in 2005, 2006 and 2007.  Funds have been earmarked again for this project and BCR President, Jamie Veronica will deliver them when she returns in the winter for the second 2007 tour.  On her visits she set camera traps to learn the migratory routes of the native cats and taught the villagers how to change the film and send it to her via an Internet café 7 hours away.  Meanwhile native handicrafts are being sold in our gift shop just like we are doing for Africa and the Snow Leopard Trust.  Big Cat Rescue will continue to assist Project Guyana by arranging eco tourism adventures where all of the proceeds go to the Amerindians to enable them to protect their native wildlife and their heritage.

Brazil:  In November 2005 Big Cat Rescue donated funds to Dr. Jim Sanderson, Ph.D, a world renown field biologist to assist him in his study of the Pampas Cat in Brazil.  The funding helped purchase the camera traps, telemetry collars, microchips and other equipment necessary to study the Pampas Cat in the wild, helped pay the local people that will be trained to monitor the equipment, helped in processing of samples and development of film, helped to supplement the diets and medical needs of the Pampas Cats in the program who are producing viable offspring.

The purpose of our involvement is to make people aware of the beautiful Pampas Cat and cause them to care about its survival, to learn about the needs of the Pampas Cat for survival in the wild so that the people of Brazil can incorporate those needs into their reforestation plans, and to ultimately see the Pampas Cat, and all of his wild cat cousins, living "Safe In the Wild."

 

Big Cat Rescue Makes National News

Big Cat Rescue has been in the press 379 times, in 18 states including GA, CO, IO, IL, MN, MO, DC, NC, NY, OH, MT, OK, NJ, MA, WA, SC, CA & FL and 25 programs of national or international coverage or in countries other than the U.S.Only the largest national and international stories are listed below:

The following are just the non Florida news stories about Big Cat Rescue.

379 8/20/07  See us on Current TV today!  Our Sand Cat Species Spotlight will also be playing on Tuesday 8/21/07 at approximately 8:19A, 12:31P, 9:19P, and 5:32a Eastern Time. 

377 7/31/07 Jeff Golimowski, Senior Staff Writer for Washington's CNS News covered the annual Taking Action for Animals Conference. He quoted Carole Baskin in saying that extremists are making it more difficult for those wanting to help animals to work within the system. "It is a challenge because when you have one bad person, you tend to all get painted with the same brush," she said. "That's like saying every Christian is a member of the KKK."  This article ran in several media outlets.

376 7/17/07 Lisa Lerer, reporter for the D.C. paper called The Politico did an article called Lobbyist Feels Good by Doing Good about the pro bono work Paul Miller is doing for Big Cat Rescue on Haley's Act.   

374 7/1/07 Parenting Magazine featured Tampabay Buccaneer Quarterback, Chris Simms' visit to Big Cat Rescue with the orphans from the Children's Home on the cover of their magazine and gave us a huge two page spread with photos. 

369 6/9/07 Judith Worley of USA Travel Magazine did a wonderful feature on visiting Big Cat Rescue. 

368 6/9/07 Carole Baskin was quoted by National Geographic on the plight of leopards in India.

364 6/1/07 Southeastern Group Tour Magazine did a two page article on things to to in the Tampabay area called The Perfect Mix and, of course, Big Cat Rescue was included.

363 5/25/07 Katherine Fletcher, reporter for Capital PARENT Magazine, did two stories about Big Cat Rescue.  In one she listed it with San Diego's Wild Animal Park and Canada's Montreal Biodome as best places to visit.  She went on to differential between zoos and sanctuaries and between real sanctuaries, like Big Cat Rescue that do not breed, sell or exploit animals and pseudo sanctuaries that are merely a cover for back yard menageries and road side zoos. 

359 4/14/07 Big Cat Rescue was featured on the Ms. Adventure Show called Communication. 

354 3/20/07 ABC news interviewed Scott Lope, Operations Manager for Big Cat Rescue about why so many Florida bobcats are being hit by cars. 

353 3/9/07  Stephen Guilfoyle, Editor of the News & Reporter OnlineChester.com reported that opponents of Tiger World watched a presentation that included a video clip from Big Cat Rescue.  He went on to say, “The spokesman on the video says some of the things that zoology experts have told The News & Reporter about private ownership groups. Jaunakais originally talked about breeding her cats, but the experts said that is a sure test to determine that a group is not into saving or conserving the species.  There are actually too many big cats in private ownership, and there is no need to breed more, the spokesman on the video showed (Brian Czarnik, BOD of Big Cat Rescue). Breeding is a sign that a private owner has other motives than conservation. Others are allowing people to view the animals as well as taking the animals off-site for exhibitions.”

352 3/7/07 Scott Lope was interviewed on the Bill O'Reilly Show on Fox 13 which aired coast to coast on the issue of public feeding of carnivores. 

351 2/18/07 Carole Baskin's letter to the editor about exotic pet incidents was posted in the Baltimore Times-Herald. 

350 2/12/07 Austin, TX the PR Web hosted an article by Suzann Kale favoring faux fur fashions and quoted "Nice Girls Fake It" and "Go Cool vs. Cruel this Year" say the Big Cat Rescue people.

345 1/16/07 The San Francisco Chronicle wrote "One proponent of public feeding is Carole Baskin, chief executive officer of Big Cat Rescue, a sanctuary with more than 100 felines in Tampa, Fla. "We do public feedings to show people that the cats they may have seen elsewhere on leashes, doing tricks or posing for photos, become entirely different animals in the presence of food," Baskin said. "When a person sees a tiger crunch through a cow femur like it was a potato chip, they can visualize what some part of their body would look like in the cat's mouth."She is hoping that such visceral displays will end the demand for big cats as props or pets and put breeders out of business."

344 1/14/07 Carole Baskin was posted in the Indy Star in response to an article about a cougar that escaped from Joe Taft's Exotic Feline Rescue.

343 1/13/07 In the summer of 2006 Dan Mazur and his team rescued Lincoln Hall 800 ft. from the summit of Mt. Everest! His story and true heroism made world news! Today he came to share his story with a group of about 60 at Big Cat Rescue.  Channel 10 interviewed him and Howard Baskin about why he had traveled from CA to FL to share his story with us.

341 12/29/06 Shannon and Chuck Reinighaus, Editors of The Grande Life magazine did almost a full page story on Big Cat Rescue and why there are so many abandoned big cats. 

340 12/25/06 Nancy Grace hosted Jack Hanna on CNN and ran a clip of Scott Lope talking about the booming exotic pet trade as he stood in front of Nikita the lioness at Big Cat Rescue. When you read the transcript you can't help but notice that as long as there were animals in front of the host, Jack Hanna could barely get a word in edgewise about why we need bans on these exotic animals as pets (even though he tried repeatedly) because all the host wanted to talk about was if she could pet and hold the animals.  When animals are being presented like pets, people just aren't hearing the message that they don't make good pets.   

338 12/22/06 Carole Baskin's letter to the editor about a man parading a tiger around at a fair was published in the Kamloops News and the authorities in British Columbia are seeking penalties against Kim Carlton of Siberian Magic.

337 12/21/06 In the UK, thanks to Daphne Butters, an AdvoCat, Our Cats Magazine has published articles about Big Cat Rescue and has included one in their 2006 Annual book.

336 12/15/06 Big Cat Rescue was featured in the book called Adventure Vacations for Animal Lovers by Stephanie Ocko as a great place to visit.

331 12/4/06 Der Spiegel, the Germany equivalent of our Time Magazine, did a story on the big cat crisis in America that is fostered by our lack of laws and enforcement. Reporter Philip Bethge wrote about the deaths of Haley Hildebrand, Vince Lowe, Joy Holiday and reported on the mauling of Roy Horn and others.  His report included the sad truth about what often happens to the cats when they escape, when they are killed for doing what comes naturally and how they end up in road side zoos in the care of people who pride themselves on being big game hunters.  He used Gloria Johnson as an example of people who support the white tiger trade so that they can use the animals as props.  Most of the cases cited were in Florida where he spoke with FWCC officials, viewed photos of the people who had been killed, and learned that the state has done little to control the problem.  An English translation is available HERE

329 11/26/06 Susan Heeger included Big Cat Rescue in her article in O, The Oprah Magazine called "Where the Wild Things Go" as one of five accredited rescue facilities that provide a permanent home to big cats. 

321 11/5/06 Anthony Flint, Correspondent for the Boston Globe published today that if you visit Tampa-St.Petersburg you have to see Big Cat Rescue.

320 11/1/06 UK Cat magazine 'OUR CATS' started a series of articles written by Daphne Butters, based on her experiences on her annual visits from England to Big Cat Rescue, 2001- 2006. This series will run in the magazine, published every two weeks, for the next 10 issues, ending in spring 2007.

319 10/27/06 Although not mentioned in the reports, Big Cat Rescue assisted ABC News in these undercover investigations: ABC did an undercover investigation that you can watch online.  Be sure to watch all of the clips listed there.  They start out the same but are very different.  What they do share in common is the grim truth that some people are using animals in ways that put the public in deadly contact with dangerous animals.

299 9/17/06 Tim Chitwood at the Ledger-Enquirer.com reported on the Shriners Circus using tigers in GA and linked to Big Cat Rescue to let readers know more about tigers in circus acts.  He quoted volunteer Elizabeth Jordan of Big Cat Rescue telling of her observance of abuse and discovered that no back ground checks appear to be performed on the clowns despite the fact that one named Spanky had a long list of child molestation charges.

295 9/1/06 Atlanta Magazine did a piece called Undiscovered Florida by Carolyn Deariso who concluded her article with a half page and photo of Shere Khan at Big Cat Rescue suggesting that everyone visit us. 

286 8/8/06 The Denver Post's Joey Bunch quoted Carole Baskin in reference to the potential closure of Prairie Wind.

285 8/6/06 Carole Baskin was quoted on the Sioux City Journal's web site on Congress ending a tax scam that unfairly compensated hunters.

274 7/3/06 The CBS sponsored NFL home site ran the same story below giving us national coverage of Chris Simms visit to Big Cat Rescue.  Chris has already called to schedule more time here thanks to his good relationship with our Operations Manager Scott Lope and he hopes to bring his friends and family soon. 

273 7/2/2006 The Chicago Star did a cover story on Big Cat Rescue with one full page photo of Natasha and Willow the fur farm rescues and a half page photo of Shere Khan and China doll.  The story was written by Carole Schrock.  The Hillsborough County Convention and Visitor's Bureau sent a copy to us, thanking us for representing Tampa so well and saying that this sort of coverage was worth more than 18,000 in the advertising world. 

264 6/3/06 The Associated Press' reporter Andrea Fanta interviewed Carole Baskin and Gloria Johnson and did a nice job of illustrating why cuddling big cats and walking them on leashes makes people want to buy them as pets, thus perpetuating the problem that creates so many unwanted and abandoned exotic cats. 

260 5/13/06 Shere Khan was featured on the cover of the USBorne Discovery Internet Linked book called Big Cats by Jonathan Sheikh-Miller and Stephanie Turnbull.

 

BigCatRescue.org

 

www.BigCatRescue.org:  We maintain a web site that is considered THE source on exotic cat information that includes information on all 35 species of wild cats with photos and their sounds.  Because we are home to the world's largest and most diverse collection of exotic cats we provide photos that depict animals most people have never seen.  Our photos are often downloaded by other animal related organizations who are doing their part to raise awareness.  Our cats' images have been included in documentaries, books, CD-ROMs, calendars, field guides, eBay guidelines to prevent the illegal fur trade, and even towels.  All of this is encouraged to educate the public about the plight these animals face.

Our web site includes information that saves lives.  We get calls and e mail from all around the world, at all hours of the night, from people facing a life or death situation with an exotic cat.    From newborns to the geriatric, we have documented virtually every life threatening experience a cat can face, and all of the general questions about nutrition, vaccines, cage design, and animal husbandry that we can answer.  With a mouse click we can direct the animal's care giver to the solution they are looking for.  Over and over again we are told that by having this information immediately available it has saved animals lives.  

The web site uses all of the latest in cutting edge technology and incorporates many interactive games, puzzles and videos about exotic animals and the issues they face in captivity and in the wild. 

Some of the pages are presented in Spanish and we devote a lot of our resources to telling the animal's stories via photos, slideshows and videos that are capable of transcending language barriers.  We have converted many of the key pages into audio to assist the blind, the illiterate and the very young.

Big Cat Rescue's web site includes free teacher's resources, including age appropriate study guides in reading, writing, math and science at bigcatrescue.org/teachersresource.  These include study materials, tests, and activities to make learning fun and memorable.

In 2007  3,236 of our online supporters sent letters to the Chinese government urging them to ban the farming of captive tigers for their fur, bones and organs.  They did this through our sub site at www.CatLaws.com   This interactive portion of our web site has enjoyed continued growth and influence in legislative matters both in the U.S. and abroad.

 

Our On-Site Visitors Come From Around the Globe    

 

Our visitors:  People come from all around the world, just to see Big Cat Rescue.  Below are just a 409 from Jan. 1, 2007 until August 21, 2007:  

Foreign: 24
States: 34 + FL
LAST NAME	FIRST NAME	CITY	STATE/COUNTRY
Allen	Aimee	Windsor, Ontario	CANADA
Bowie	John	Glasgow, Scotland	SCOTLAND
Campbell	Anna	Thurso, Caithness	SCOTLAND
Chan	Albert & Leah	Grand Cayman, Cayman Island	CAYMAN ISLAND
Coulbeol	Keith	London, Ontario	CANADA
Cowling	Peggy	Thorold, Ontario	CANADA
Fortin	Claude & Bonnie	Tunder Bay, Ontario	CANADA
Gates	Amanda	Windsor, Ontario	CANADA
Gilles	Barricre	Blainville, Quebec	CANADA
Houliha	Trisha	Cayman Brac, Cayman Island	CAYMAN ISLAND
La Batte	Don & Sue	Thonorn, Ontario	CANADA
Lay	Ted	Thornbury, Ontario	CANADA
Lewis	Jennifer	Scarborough, Ontario	CANADA
Macfarlane	Jonathon	New Brunswick	CANADA
McKinnon	Mary	New Marker	CANADA
Moffat	Diane	Perthshire and Kinross	UNITED KINGDOM
Mooser	Sharon	Corunna, Ontario	CANADA
Prince	Melissa	Toronto, Ontario	CANADA
Spence	Graham	Chatham, Ontario	CANADA
Strawson	V	Caledon, Ontario	CANADA
Stronski	Ron & Linda	Smiths Falls, Ontario	CANADA
Tibbles	Ann	Onden, Ontario	CANADA
Vandenhazel	Mark	Mississauga, Ontario	CANADA
Ventura	Laura	Almonte, Ontario	CANADA
Appell	Eric & Jelena	Los Angeles	CA
Bassett	Katia	Richmond	CA
Blanchet	Chantel	Carpinteria	CA
Chalas	Jeffrey & Charline	Elk Grove	CA
Danner	Carl	Alamo	CA
degon	sagi	Rimforest	CA
Fernandez	Gic & Kim	Rio Vist	CA
Graf	Bruce	La Puente	CA
Groth	Lawerence	Alameda	CA
Henson	Kathryn	Roseville	CA
Hilston	Jim	Fountain Valley	CA
Krusky	Rick	Toluca Lake	CA
Lapides	Larkin and Melvin	Los Altos	CA
Peltier	Kathleen	Pioneer	CA
Pooler	Denise	Sunnyvale	CA
Saldate	Frank	Davis	CA
Stitt	Michelle	Whittier	CA
Williams	Uzelle	Fairfield	CA
Zavala	Jurhiat	RESEDA	CA
		San Luis Obispo	CA
Aronson	Jane	Riverside	CT
Biancarosa	Alissa	Ledyard	CT
Canning	Dianne	Bozrah	CT
Capozzi	Jeri	Thomaston	CT
Chai	Angie	Stamford	CT
Goldblatt	Pat & Steve	South Windsor	CT
Markiewicz	Laura	Woodbury	CT
Morrell	Catherine	New Britain	CT
Sundberg	Linda & Aaron	burlington	CT
Vernocci	Elisha	Stratford	CT
Wilson	Lee	Wilton	CT
Woschenko	Philip	West Hartford	CT
Brooks	Tiffani	McDonough	GA
Buckner	Charles	Douglasville	GA
Corbett	Frank	Marietta	GA
Darity	Cheryl	POWDER SPRINGS	GA
Deedy	Linda & Justin	Marietta	GA
Gordon	Logan	Smyrna	GA
Groiss	Eva	Atlanta	GA
Johnson	Ashley	Dallas	GA
Pierce	Kathi & Tiffani	McDonough	GA
Post	Paige	Kennesaw	GA
Puls	Linda	Acworth	GA
Taylor	Chris & Eugene	Snellville	GA
Williams	Angela	Greenville	GA
Yockers	Anthony & Paige	Kennesaw	GA
Gruening	Fred & Charlotte	Urbandale	IA
Halterman	Frank & Esther	Des Moines	IA
Hawker	Marcia	Manchester	IA
Hocraffer	Mark	Cedar Rapids	IA
Hovey	Kay	Manchester	IA
Kowley	Karen	Dixon	IA
Hurst	Bob	Boise	ID
Barrowman	Diana	Crest Hill	IL
Bielakouski	Marie	Benesenville	IL
Blomskess	Kristina	Carol Stream	IL
Boshcka	Sandra	McHenry	IL
Callahan	K & J	Lake Bluff	IL
Espinos	Caron	Orland Park	IL
Fitzgerald	Tracy	Mchenry	IL
Garwood	Barbara & Joseph	Edwardsville	IL
Hanzazik	Nancy	Schaumburg	IL
Kessinger	Jill	Alton	IL
Krick	Sandra	Hanover	IL
Krumm	Kayde	Lindenhurst	IL
Krummel	Connie	Hampton	IL
Levinson	Ken	La Grange	IL
LLP	Accenture	Chicago	IL
Maiworm	Frances	Lisle	IL
Majewska	Joanna	Island Lake	IL
McKay	Ann	Hampton	IL
Moore	Randall & Janice	Edwardsville	IL
Nation	Dolly & Gary	Downers Grove	IL
Orloske	Tanya	Skokie	IL
Ritter	Ed	Carpentersville	IL
Silakowski	Linda	Joliet	IL
Sweitzer	Larry	Marshall	IL
Taylor	J	Lake Bluff	IL
Van Vossa	Jacob	Tinley Park	IL
Wachala	Sheri	Champaign	IL
Dause	Lesley	Williamsport	IN
Denton	Renae	Daleville	IN
Girt	Terry	Indianapolis	IN
Hendry	Kathy	Cedar Lake	IN
Ibarra	Summer	Greenfield	IN
Kalas	Jennifer	Valparaiso	IN
Ladenski	Chris & Janice	La Porte	IN
Lawson	Stephanie	Westfield	IN
Miner	Don	Muncie	IN
Myers	Tony	Jamestown	IN
Rhodes	Katie	Crawfordsville	IN
Roussel	Theresa & Janet	Spencerville	IN
Sprigler	Stephanie	Floyds Knobs	IN
Squire	Janet	Spencerville	IN
Stewart	Carolyn & Carrie	Elwood	IN
Zalas	Tammy	South Bend	IN
Anderson	P B	Wichita	KS
Cates	James & Christina	Derby	KS
Fox	Roger	Larned	KS
Harding	Dean	Cheney	KS
Holle	Eldon	Wichita	KS
Nutt	Diane	Parsons	KS
Osterman	Maggie	Wichita	KS
Pearce	Lew & Vickie	Hutchinson	KS
Peterson	Chester & Jeanette	Lindsborg	KS
Schmidt	John	Kansas City	KS
Schmidt	Kathleen	Wathena	KS
Thetge	Victor & Joy	Harper	KS
Trinkle	Dorothy & Don	Preston	KS
White	Cindy & Bruce	Wichita	KS
Chai	Anna	Louisville	KY
Baldwin	Joan	Winchester	MA
Bull	Dawn	Worchester	MA
Carriker	Sandra	Lynnfield	MA
Cheslock	Sandra & Gerald	Rockland	MA
Collingwood	Marlin	Medford	MA
Davis	E	Hyannis	MA
DeAngelis	Charles & Elizabeth	Westwood	MA
Dumais	Denise	Easthampton	MA
File	Pat	Osterville	MA
Goldblatt	Mark	Lincoln	MA
Harris	Michael	Salem	MA
Hearn	Kathleen	Boston	MA
Kinsman	Joe	Reading	MA
Kreizinger	Kelly	FALL RIVER	MA
Langlois	Claudine	Lowell	MA
Matson	Bev	Worchester	MA
McKewick	Chris	Seekonk	MA
Morris	Tim	Beverly	MA
Muzzy	Chad	Cherry Valley	MA
O'Toole	Dibbie & Shawn	Charlton	MA
O'Toole	Robert & Barbara	Dudley	MA
Reynolds	David and Carole	Waltham	MA
Roddy	Joan	North Chelmsford	MA
Sangenario	Charlene	Worcester	MA
Scott	Kelly	West Newbury	MA
Stewart	Joan	Framingham	MA
Zenaro	Alice	Worchester	MA
Zenaro	Stephanie & John	Worchester	MA
Benaisi	Pilar	Baltimore	MD
Bettcher	Kim	Rockville	MD
Bledsoe	Marianna	Silver Spring	MD
Brettschneider	Pat	Curtis Bay	MD
Chai	Graa	Rockville	MD
Cho	Caroline	North Potomac	MD
Cronin	Barbara	Silver Spring	MD
Dickson	Barb	Rising Sun	MD
Hahn	Jonette & George	Annapolis	MD
Huggins	Paige	Owings Mills	MD
Lawn	Constance	Catonsville	MD
McVicker	Shelley	New Market	MD
Murchie	George	Annapolis	MD
Park	Linda	North Potomac	MD
Santorelli	Joan	Bethesda	MD
Uzzo	Echo	Bowie	MD
Day	Brenda	Brunswick	ME
Mc Lean	Andrea	Sabattus	ME
Nevison	Sonya	Acton	ME
Achwal	Meenaxi	Ann Arbor	MI
Bardelli	Jeff & Wendy	Dearborn Heights	MI
Brandenberg	Peggy	Troy	MI
Brink	Debra	Grand Rapids	MI
Bruce	Jenny & Cindy	East Pointe	MI
Cook	Denise & David	Holt	MI
Crandall	Dorothy	Dearborn Heights	MI
Digert	Mary	Lansing	MI
Dygert	Lisa	East Lansing	MI
Engler	Nancy	Williamsburg	MI
Everets	Dawn and Lonnie	Grand Ledge	MI
Forrester	Emilie	Novi	MI
Harbison	Cindy	East Pointe	MI
Hayden	Pamela	Armada	MI
Hofweber	John	Ann Arbor	MI
Jackson	Judy	Three Oaks	MI
Kienbaun	Amy	Midland	MI
Kung	Marie	Ypsilanti	MI
Lang	Larry & Trina	Ortonville	MI
Lanser	Jane	Holland	MI
Mansfield	Paul	Battle Creek	MI
Mason	Patrick	Calumet	MI
McPhalin	Art & Pat	Dearborn Heights	MI
Miller	Karen	W Bloomfield	MI
Morrison	Pat	West Bloomfield	MI
Ruppert	L	Lake Orion	MI
Schwegman	Lorry & John	Troy	MI
Welch	Linda	St. Clair Shores	MI
Wolfe	Tanya & Eric	Chase	MI
Christman	Richard	Grand Blanc	MN
Garcia	John	Rochester	MN
Kunkel	Sharon	Minneapolis	MN
Peterson	Jim	Minneapolis	MN
Putnam	Sharon	Proctor	MN
Thuesou	Jack	Stillwater	MN
Astoff	Beth	Ofallon	MO
Behrens	Catherine	Kirksville	MO
Grey	Phyllis	Saint louis	MO
McDade	Chad	Columbia	MO
Snyder	Danielle	Ocean Springs	MS
Gagnon	Greg	Newton	NC
Walrath	Lynn	Cornelius	NC
Casella	Sam & Monica	Grantham	NH
Hunt	Wanda	Goffstown	NH
Keiner	Deb & Dana	New Boston	NH
Lancaster	Scott	Hampstead	NH
Lopez	Sylvia	Nashua	NH
Milinder	Le Ann	Contoocook	NH
Soule	Matt	Concord	NH
Stephenson	William & Shirley	Lyndeborough	NH
Tobin-Raymonds	Laurie	Brentwood	NH
Armstrong	Heather	Bloomfield	NJ
Gentili	Michael	Sewell	NJ
Gisondi	Philip	Shrewsbury	NJ
Kalusa	Linda	Atco	NJ
Kanach	Tom	Belford	NJ
Katsoff	Susan	Flemington	NJ
LeSchander	Lona & Susan	Flemington	NJ
Mutol	Robert	Ramsey	NJ
O'Neill	Candice & Linda	Atco	NJ
Shapley	Ruth Ann	Toms River	NJ
Silver	David	Paterson	NJ
Videtti	Laura	Trenton	NJ
Weingart	C & J	Hillsborough	NJ
Wright	Mark & Judy	Ocean View	NJ
	Chubb Corp	Warren	NJ
Haggard	Ronalee	Las Vegas	NV
Magness	Garry & Lisa	Las Vegas	NV
Williams	Tania	Reno	NV
Abraham	Richard	Bronx	NY
Alderman	Loraine	East Meadow	NY
Auerbach	Amy & Michael	New York	NY
Austin	Christine	Webster	NY
Berridge	E	Woodbury	NY
Bertolini	Anna	Lindenhurst	NY
Biondo	Vicky	Brainardsville	NY
Burke	Anita	Angola	NY
Cangemi	Vincent	Port Jervis	NY
Canizio	Pat	Wantagh	NY
Daty	Roberta	Castleton On Hudson	NY
Edmonds	Ellis	Brooklyn	NY
Elliser	Robin	Mount Sinai	NY
Forsyth	Susan	Uniondale	NY
Fuller	Dorothy & David	Plattsburgh	NY
Furbush	Michael	New York	NY
Goidel	Abbe	Staten Island	NY
Gurbacki	Carol & John	Hamburg	NY
Hagen	Paul	Salt Point	NY
Harris	Al	Dobbs Ferry	NY
Hills	Chris	Elmira	NY
Kawalski	Petriina	White Plains	NY
Koster	Amy	Churchville	NY
Lang	Lynn & Anna	Lindenhurst	NY
Lieberman	Sarah & Leon	Porter Corners	NY
Marsden	Janice	Rochester	NY
Maser	John	Sayville	NY
Matuszek	Monique	Delmar	NY
Mc Afee	Marybeth	Ithaca	NY
McCloud	Tina	fMiddletown	NY
Miller	Donna	Highland Mills	NY
Moser	Meryl	Scarsdale	NY
O Connor	Robert	Brooklyn	NY
Parker	Michael	Massapequa	NY
Petty	James	Sound Beach	NY
Piotrowski	Carolyn	Port Jefferson Station	NY
Rega	Joleen	Staten Island	NY
Roethel	Hal	Fayetteville	NY
Seigler	Nanette & William	Rome	NY
Synowski	Barbara	Liverpool	NY
Thompson	Richard	Rockaway Park	NY
Trackey	Carol	Glens Falls	NY
Van Valkenburg	Linda	Bronx	NY
Vitiello	Linda & Joe	Nanuet	NY
Weisbrot	Lila	Kingston	NY
	Frank Hackstall	Nyack	NY
Beebo	John	Canton	OH
Dodaro	Ed	Mentor	OH
Geyer	Michael	Twinsburg	OH
Gilbo	Ole	Dayton	OH
Gratz	Eric	Worthington	OH
Herchel	Greg	New Albany	OH
Hesseltine	Marianne	Powell	OH
Krope	John	Lebanon	OH
Long	Alyssa	Marengo	OH
Marr	Diane	Akron	OH
McCarty	Allie	Springfield	OH
Moore	Eric	Pickerington	OH
Morrison	Carolyn	Atwater	OH
Neff	Annette	Dublin	OH
Nichols	Vicki	Dublin	OH
Pierce	Lester & Anthony	Waverly	OH
Plancon	Joe	Columbus	OH
Regner	Cheryl	Ashtabula	OH
Rhoads	Darrin	Canfield	OH
Schuelke	Herbert	Cleveland	OH
Shipley	Karen	Akron	OH
	Joe & Joyce	Gollipoles	OH
Adams	Clyde & Elese	Guymon	OK
Hirzel	Delores	Guthrie	OK
Jackson	Gwen	Chickasha	OK
Lahr	Marilyn	Choctaw	OK
Logan	Arlene	Enid	OK
Story	Lester & Helen	Oklahoma City	OK
Tyler	Ted & Jacquelynn	Shawnee	OK
Hoffman	Diane	Eugene	OR
King	Janile	Eugene	OR
Lewis	Erin	Gresham	OR
Beattie	Ann	Mount Carmel	PA
Breslin	Anthony & Sean	Philadelphia	PA
Capone	Susan & Rocco	Philadelphia	PA
Charles	Richard	Clearfield	PA
Chase	Gareth & Susan	Allentown	PA
Cullin	Sandy & Dale	Topton	PA
Danner	Gerald & Barbara	Wellsville	PA
Frise	Jay	Richboro	PA
Gibb	Ashley	Downingtown	PA
Haeg	Christian	Clearfield	PA
Hildenbrand	Bob & Ann	Mount Carmel	PA
Hoot	Paul and Lois	Selinsgrove	PA
Kane	Jean and Dan	Philadelphia	PA
Lanager	Crystal	Clearfield	PA
Miller	Larry & Nancy	Chambersburg	PA
Montanaro	Kat	Bethlehem	PA
Nelson	Julia	State College	PA
Peters	Rod & Myra	West Decatur	PA
Rickard	Martin & Sandy	HONESDALE	PA
Rose	Ellen	Shippensburg	PA
Ryan	Wendy	Hanover	PA
Smith	Robert	Elizabethtown	PA
Warner	Sean & Mary Jo	York	PA
Wrye	Tina & Cacie Jo	West Decatur	PA
Luciano	Liberty	Warwick	RI
Mintel	Amy	Cranston	RI
McConnell	Kathy	Mount Pleasant	SC
Priester	Kenneth	CHARLESTON	SC
Sharp	Martha	Mout Pleasant	SC
Milton	Bruce & Sharon	Brandt	SD
Bubar	Ed & Cindy	Johnson City	TN
Henson	Roger	Finger	TN
Morrison	Derek	Greenville	TN
Reagan	Blake	Seymour	TN
Boniuk	Debbie	Bellaire	TX
Covington	Joanna	Houston	TX
Fox	Penny	Fairview	TX
Jacobson	Debbie	Mesquite	TX
Mollar	Kathy	Dallas	TX
Skelton	Susan	Dallas	TX
Durk	Tim & Candace	Washington	UT
Hicks	Glen	Salt Lake City	UT
Muzamez	Larry	Draper	UT
Anderson	Gene & Suzan	Roanoke	VA
Campbell	Martha	Alexandria	VA
Davis	William	Richmond	VA
Dibella	Brendon	Alexandria	VA
Fischer	Michael	Great Falls	VA
Frame	Rod & Kay	Falls Church	VA
Hunter	Emily	Fredericksburg	VA
Mardula	Susan & Francis	Alexandria	VA
Paschall	Robert	Alexandria	VA
Ruedisueli	Amy	Virginia Beach	VA
Schmid	Patrick	Stafford	VA
Weber	William	Virginia Beach	VA
Lazar	Deb & Juliana	Putney	VT
Moher	Laura & Elaine	Waterbury	VT
Perkins	Liz	Richmond	VT
Redden	Juliana	Putney	VT
Schener	Wade devlin & Jarn devlin	Sunderland	VT
Walker	John	East Thetford	VT
Young	Elaine	Waterbury	VT
Farrineti	Eric	Dunedin	WA
LiFrak	Alicia	Seattle	WA
Magwood	Bridget	Everett	WA
Price	Kelley	Kirkland	WA
Rylander	Karen & Mark	Kirkland	WA
Schroeder	Nancy	Tacoma	WA
Stanford	Derek	Botheww	WA
Staven	Lissa	Richland	WA
Sullivan	C & Kimberly	Lake Stevens	WA
Berner