Carole Baskins Diary

360 Tiny Planets

 

I may just be too easily amused and making excuses to do this, but I’ve been learning how to create 360 videos and photos via LifeIn360Photo using the Insta360 ONE.  In a world where there is so much noise and so many people trying to vie for attention on social media, I think this may go viral, if I can get the cats to stay still and not eat the camera.

 

Meanwhile, I’m wondering if Joe robbed his mom to pay a hitman, or if he’s just trying to bail himself out of debts that could rob him of the attention he seeks?  I got an email from his domain host asking:

 

Jagriti Kumari https://www.facebook.com/jagriti.ritu messaged us on Facebook:

Hi. Do you want these as you are into animal welfare

gwzoo.com

wynnewoodzoo.com

shoptigerking.com

getzoodeals.com

getzoodeal.click

& related domains & websites

joeexotic.tv

joeexotic.com

joeexotic2020.com

joeexotic2016.com

zooterspizza.com

safaribar.club

joeexoticforoklahoma.com

Domains & websites

Monday 12:21 PM

 

LaWanna told her we didn’t.  I have no idea why LaWanna would feel it her place to answer one way or the other on that, but she did.  Then  Jagriti answered:

 

Ok thank you. As he has defaulted in making payments for all his website services, we have put everything for sale/auction.

 

Howie asked me to message her and ask that they give us the details to his email address, so I sent her a message and a friend request, in the hopes that she sees it.

 

Hi, I’m Carole Baskin and I’ve been writing my story since I was able to write, but when the media goes to share it, they only choose the parts that fit their idea of what will generate views.  These are my views and opinions. If I'm going to share my story, it should be the whole story.  The titles are the dates things happened. If you have any interest in who I really am please start at the beginning of this playlist: http://savethecats.org/

 

I know there will be people who take things out of context and try to use them to validate their own misconception, but you have access to the whole story.  My hope is that others will recognize themselves in my words and have the strength to do what is right for themselves and our shared planet.  

 

You can help feed the cats at no cost to you using Amazon Smile!

Visit BigCatRescue.org/Amazon-smile

 

You can see photos, videos and more, updated daily at BigCatRescue.org

 

Check out our main channel at YouTube.com/BigCatRescue

 

Music (if any) from Epidemic Sound (http://www.epidemicsound.com) This video is for entertainment purposes only and is my opinion.  Closing graphic with permission from https://youtu.be/F_AtgWMfwrk

Joe may have secured his hit man money yesterday The plot thickens: Today Chelsea Putman, one of Joe Exotic’s nieces called Gale (who knows how she got that #?) looking for me. She said she had documented proof of Joe’s fraud, including facts such as him having a bar and liquor license in the name of Ann Patrick (some older relative). She said Joe was trying to get her arrested for attacking his mother, Shirley Schreibvogel but she said she was trying to evict some drug addict friend of Joe’s who’d moved in with her grandparents. Chelsea said Joe told her that I’d called him on the phone yesterday to tell him that I’m filing another million dollar lawsuit against him (which was a lie) so he’d gone to his mom to get the $13,000 to pay lawyers. She went on to say that Joe had bragged about the tigers he sent to Pat Craig, at PeTA’s insistence, were not the Dade City Wild Things tigers, but rather just nearly 40 of his old tigers that wouldn’t breed any more. I believe that if Joe is speaking, he’s lying, but it made me wonder if he’s robbing his mom to pay the hit man, because it doesn’t sound like he’s getting ready to settle. This Facebook post was by Chelsea’s husband, Travis Putman, so pardon the language. Makes me wonder if they moved the Schreibvogel home into his name to avoid collection if Shirley dies and Joe has some claim to her house? Chelsea called from 2 numbers today: Hi, I’m Carole Baskin and I’ve been writing my story since I was able to write, but when the media goes to share it, they only choose the parts that fit their idea of what will generate views. These are my views and opinions. If I'm going to share my story, it should be the whole story. The titles are the dates things happened. If you have any interest in who I really am please start at the beginning of this playlist: http://savethecats.org/ I know there will be people who take things out of context and try to use them to validate their own misconception, but you have access to the whole story. My hope is that others will recognize themselves in my words and have the strength to do what is right for themselves and our shared planet. You can help feed the cats at no cost to you using Amazon Smile! Visit BigCatRescue.org/Amazon-smile You can see photos, videos and more, updated daily at BigCatRescue.org Check out our main channel at YouTube.com/BigCatRescue Music (if any) from Epidemic Sound (http://www.epidemicsound.com) This video is for entertainment purposes only and is my opinion. Closing graphic with permission from https://youtu.be/F_AtgWMfwrk

Birthday-Fox-Palms-Jamie-Victor-2022-06-06

Leave your damn dog at home.

“My wife’s an empath and she’ll tell you if your going to have a seizure or not,” is what Howie should have told the woman who insisted on bringing her pocket puppy as a “service animal” that we have to allow on property.  People are so rude to insist they can bring their dogs to a cat sanctuary under the guise of being a service animal.

 

I was racing from the island to the sanctuary this morning because I have a 10 am business coaching call with Aaron O’Sullivan.  The car in front of me ran over a low flying seagull, but I was able to come to a stop before hitting it.  I had watched in horror as it was rolled over and over under the car’s frame.  Traffic was heavy and screaming past on my left because I was holding up the right hand lane.

 

The bird was struggling to stand and I was considering getting out and grabbing him, but scenes from the accident that nearly took Bill Benjamin’s legs (see 8/31/98) flashed into my head.  I could put on my flashers and hop out, but given the way traffic was piled up behind me, the furthest car back could careen into all of us, causing a domino effect with me and the bird being the most likely to die in the chain reaction.

 

The bird managed to get on his feet, but now was clearly rattled.  I began blowing my horn and creeping toward him, so as to herd him off the pavement.  It seemed like forever, but it was probably just a few minutes before he was able to walk, trot and then fly.  I was so relieved to see that the bird would be okay and that I didn’t end up causing a bad wreck.

 

You’d think that would have put me in a good enough mood that I wouldn’t have been instantly angry at seeing Howie’s morning being wasted by the self centered old lady who just couldn’t leave her dog at home.

 

Hi, I’m Carole Baskin and I’ve been writing my story since I was able to write, but when the media goes to share it, they only choose the parts that fit their idea of what will generate views.  These are my views and opinions. If I'm going to share my story, it should be the whole story.  The titles are the dates things happened. If you have any interest in who I really am please start at the beginning of this playlist: http://savethecats.org/

 

I know there will be people who take things out of context and try to use them to validate their own misconception, but you have access to the whole story.  My hope is that others will recognize themselves in my words and have the strength to do what is right for themselves and our shared planet.  

 

You can help feed the cats at no cost to you using Amazon Smile!

Visit BigCatRescue.org/Amazon-smile

 

You can see photos, videos and more, updated daily at BigCatRescue.org

 

Check out our main channel at YouTube.com/BigCatRescue

 

Music (if any) from Epidemic Sound (http://www.epidemicsound.com) This video is for entertainment purposes only and is my opinion.  Closing graphic with permission from https://youtu.be/F_AtgWMfwrk

Even when you know it’s the right thing to do, it still hurts

 

Even though Will got ten more years of doting attention by his keepers, than nature would have given him, it’s still hard to say, “good bye.”

 

When Will was found in August 2007 he was only a month old, but we knew right away that something was seriously wrong with him.  We hoped it was just that he was sick and starved; abandoned by his mother, and that with a little TLC he’d recover into the hissing spitfire that all wild bobcats are.  He gained weight and grew a glossy coat to match his beautiful, shiny eyes, but he never developed a bobcat personality.

 

We thought he was blind because of his docile, non inquisitive nature, so experts in neurology and ophthalmology visited with him over the years.  The function of his eyes was fine, but there was just something missing in the translation to his brain.  He would walk into walls and just always seemed to be in his own little world.

 

That worked for him until about a year ago when his health began to decline.  Vets tried every imaginable combination of drugs and supplements to keep him strong, but in these last few weeks, we have had to start poking him with needles to keep him hydrated and while he tolerates it, he doesn’t like it.  Who would?

 

If we keep him in the Cat Hospital he will eat enough of the watery gruel we make to keep him hydrated, but when he goes back outside he won’t eat well enough to survive.  We have been watching him closely, with CCTV, to make sure he isn’t suffering and what we have found is that we just can’t know how much pain he’s in because he just doesn’t behave like a normal cat.

 

What we do know is that we’ve exhausted every course of veterinary care for him and he’s never going to get better.  If his whole life is comprised of living in a small cage, where his irritable bowel syndrome results in soiled bedding every couple hours, then that’s just not a life worth living.  Coming to the decision that it was time to end his suffering was especially hard because he does eat OK, in that environment.  The issue is that we just can’t tell what his experience is because he doesn’t show any emotion.

 

To touch him was to make the final decision for him.  He isn’t grooming and he’s just skin and bones, despite his food consumption.   You could just feel the lifelessness in him and cutting the fine cord that bridged the difference in this world and the next felt like the right thing to do.

 

Will has always been “special” and like Mrs. Claws, who also isn’t quite right in the head, it makes us feel that much more protective of them.  Letting go is hard and leaves us all feeling like there must have been something more we could have done.

 

Why did we cooperate with a zoo?

This is Howie’s version of my letter, which became the public record.  Good thing I have such an excellent press secretary.

 

Some of you think I’ve lost my mind, or lost my way, and have asked me to explain why we would accept Manny Jaguar and Nat Leopard from a zoo and not require them to give up having any exotic cats.  I wish I could say this in a sound bite that’s easy to share with those asking you this question, but like most things that are important, it just can’t be explained without painting the full picture.

 

In the last issue of our Big Cat Times we published an article talking about the accelerating and exciting positive evolution of how society is viewing the treatment of exotic animals. We drew an analogy to the decades long struggle for women’s suffrage 100 years ago that started with a few “crazies” who were ridiculed, beaten, and jailed. Over a period of 72 years support at first grew slowly, then accelerated.  Finally their ideas became mainstream and they prevailed with the 1920 Constitutional Amendment.  The article talked about how this same pattern was repeating itself in the arena of animal welfare and gave examples. 

 

The AZA is slowly becoming part of that evolution. While there

This is how I feel.  Howie will edit for what I can say I feel.

Some of you think I’ve lost my mind, or lost my way, and have asked me to explain why we would accept Manny Jaguar and Nat Leopard from a zoo and not require them to get out of the exotic cat business.  I wish I could say this in a sound byte, that’s easy to share with those asking you this question, but like most things that are important, it just can’t be explained without painting the full picture.

 

My goal is a world where all wildcats live free.  This partnership with an AZA accredited zoo is the next step toward that goal.

 

Big Cat Rescue has been no stranger to controversy and despite our small size and budget we have been able to transform the entire industry of captive breeding wild cats.  We were the first to speak out against the practice of inbreeding to create white tigers and white lions and it took more than 12 years, but the AZA finally banned the practice of inbreeding to create color morphs in 2011.

 

One of the internally controversial things we did to accomplish this was to rescue a white tiger.  It had always been our policy to let the other sanctuaries, who fight to get the white cats, take them so we could save space for the normal colored cats.  By having Zabu here though, I think we have been able to do more education on the topic, than we might have without her.

 

At Big Cat Rescue we are always on the leading edge of technology and social platforms to find better ways to reach people with our message.  We are investing into virtual reality in the hopes that we can create an immersive experience where people can learn about the necessity of big cats in the protection of eco-systems.  By filming these cats, who are doomed to live the rest of their lives in cages, we can create interactive learning experiences, that will help people understand that breeding cats for life in prison hasn’t kept them from nearing the brink of extinction and never will.

 

AZA accredited zoos have a role in conservation that could be huge; but they haven’t embraced it yet.  Just like the white tiger issue, I think they need to see the public adopt a mindset first, before they will risk the status quo.  We want to be so successful with the virtual reality project that zoos invest their much larger resources into transforming themselves into exciting learning venues that do not use real wild cats as props.  When they begin to make those transitions, they will need to do something with their wild animals, and we want GFAS accredited sanctuaries to have a solid relationship with them as that time approaches.

 

I cruised by slowly enough to determine if there was a life to save

and there clearly wasn’t.

 

Selfish Me said, “Don’t stop for this one.  You have other pressing obligations.  The vultures will finish their work soon anyway.”

 

Selfless Me said, “You have to stop.  Vultures! Really? You’d let vultures continue that?”

 

Selfish Me said, “It’s six lanes of fast moving traffic.  You’re going to get yourself killed, and for what? She’s gone.  Keep driving.”

 

Selfless Me said, “It’s always this way; fast traffic, no where to safely pull over, a long walk from where you can park, and yet, you know it’s the right thing to do.”

 

Selfish Me said, “You know you don’t want to see that carnage up close.  It’s going to give you nightmares to replay the sight you are going to witness.  You won’t be able to forget the helplessness you’ll feel when you pick up that lifeless body.  It’s just going to torment you to re-live her last moments again, and again and again.”

 

Selfless Me said, “It hasn’t killed you yet.  You’ve seen and experienced some horrific stuff by making sure they aren’t left on the road.  Besides, you know that what will torment you more, would be to drive on by and do nothing.”

 

By the second cut in the median I had turned around and went back.  I always keep gloves and plastic bags in my truck because I haven’t left a dead cat on the roa

I reached for Howard’s liqueur

 

Yesterday was busy from start to finish.  We welcomed Manny Jaguar (Jamie’s soulmate) and Nat the Amur Leopard.  Shane Brown and David Reynolds from Virtual Marketing 360 came and captured drone footage, and lots of 360 footage to show us what they can do in our budding partnership.

 

As soon as the cats were safely moved into their new homes, Phyllis, our 80+ year old volunteer, radios that there was a white, fluffy something in Zucari Serval’s cage that looked like it was dying.  Afton and I removed an albino raccoon that was drooling and snapping at the air.  We will send it off for rabies testing, but the last two raccoons turned out to be positive for Canine Distemper, which is deadly to cats and for which there is no vaccine.

 

Canine Distemper wiped out most of the big cats at In Sync Exotics in Wylie, TX a few years back and decimated lion, leopard and cheetah populations in the wild circa 2004 maybe.  Zucari will be placed under quarantine, but these raccoons fit through the cage wire and travel across the roofs, dropping their deadly feces into the cages.  I am beyond freaked out about this.

 

Later, I got a call about an injured bobcat, but he’s living across the Alafia River from the woman and can hunt, so there’s no chance I can net him.  She will keep an eye on him. I was really glad I didn’t have to go running out into the night tonight.

 

Hi, I’m Carole Baskin and I’ve been writing my story since I was able to write, but when the media goes to share it, they only choose the parts that fit their idea of what will generate views.  These are my views and opinions. If I'm going to share my story, it should be the whole story.  The titles are the dates things happened. If you have any interest in who I really am please start at the beginning of this playlist: http://savethecats.org/

 

I know there will be people who take things out of context and try to use them to validate their own misconception, but you have access to the whole story.  My hope is that others will recognize themselves in my words and have the strength to do what is right for themselves and our shared planet.  

 

You can help feed the cats at no cost to you using Amazon Smile!

Visit BigCatRescue.org/Amazon-smile

 

You can see photos, videos and more, updated daily at BigCatRescue.org

 

Check out our main channel at YouTube.com/BigCatRescue

 

Music (if any) from Epidemic Sound (http://www.epidemicsound.com) This video is for entertainment purposes only and is my opinion.  Closing graphic with permission from https://youtu.be/F_AtgWMfwrk

Letter to Mike Webber re Terry Thompson

Still looking for Terry Thompson notes but found cub age / size chart Jamie did that may be helpful.

 

https://bigcatrescue.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Tigers2-12weeks_Blackbox.jpg

 

What I remember from the call was that it was approaching dusk here and I was walking across the field out by the Party House when a call came in as UNKNOWN.  The man on the other end was screaming, "I hate you but I hate them more!"

 

I get a lot of rabid calls from crazy cat people so I rarely take note of their ramblings unless they will give me something concrete that I can use.  He was screaming, and just about every other word was foul and abusive cursing, but he was saying that everything I had suspected about how these cubs are bred, trucked across country with no permits or record keeping, used as pay to play props and then how they would just disappear was all true.

 

He said he knew it was true because he had been the one trucking them around the country between doc Antle, Joe Exotic, Kathy Stearns, Mario Tabraue, Gregg Woody, (another name that I recognized at the time but have forgotten now that he's long gone out of business) and a whole bunch of names that I either didn't know, or couldn't remember because he was firing them off so fast in between curses.

 

He said that he trucked baby tigers and other baby wild animals from coast to coast for all of the big guys on a regular basis because they were all a network of cub pimps who kept each other stocked so that they all always had cubs to offer.  He said many of them died in transit and that the conditions on both ends were often horrific.

 

He said cubs that outgrew the pay to play stage were often sold or given away to anyone who would take them but that a lot of them just disappeared.  He said they often died or were killed.  He said all of the players knew that there was no enforcement of the laws and they all knew how to circumvent the authorities.

 

This was at a time when it was still legal to be moving cubs of any age across state lines, as long as there was a USDA license at each end of the transfer to act as the middle man for anyone who wasn't.

 

I remember asking him to put it in writing because I wasn't where I could write it down.  He just kept screaming that he was sick of these people and that he wanted me to shut them down.  I told him (because I tell everyone) that I can't do anything based on what he tells me; I have to have it in writing, with names, dates, particulars that I can go on to make a case.

 

He said I could quote him because he didn't care what any of them thought now, but I remember telling him that wasn't enough.  I couldn't just say, "this guy told me..." and have it do any good.  He may have felt his name would make a difference, but I don't remember him telling me his name, and even if he had, I probably wouldn't have known who he was, since he would not have been on my radar given the fact he'd been in jail.

 

I could hardly understand him because he was so angry and was going on a mile a minute.  I figured he'd email me if he was serious.  I didn't think much of it.  Even the next day, when I awoke to the news of the Zanesville Massacre, I didn't immediately connect the two events, because it was weeks, if not months, before the story was fully known.

 

Once I had a better understanding of what had happened in Zanesville, it left me wondering if that call had been from Terry Thompson.  I remember trying to go back through my cell phone's past calls to see if I could tell if the call was from OH but I couldn't as no information appeared on a lot of calls marked UNKNOWN CALLER.

 

I didn't have much reason to try and document the call at the time because all I had was hearsay and if the police had found my number on Terry's phone, I figured they would call me.  I didn't know we'd be doing a movie about it 6 years later where it would have been pertinent for me to ask if Jack Hanna was one of h

I stayed home all day, other than going to the event and swinging thru the sanctuary to pick up mail.  Katie was using the Party House for Novak’s first birthday party, so I sure didn’t want to be around for the awkwardness of family and kids were the perfect excuse for me to stay away.

 

Maya Cougar’s Mom Wrote:

Hi Carol,  Thank you so much for the email. Maya is a sweet, loving, wonderful girl. The decision to give her up was a very hard one. I love her very much and thought this was the best decision for her.  I have been having some health issues and had to make the hard decision. I am having knee surgery next month and then depending on how that goes will get the other knee done soon.

 

I have known of your facility for a long time. I met your late husband many many years ago at Woods and Waters (Wildlife Auction). I know you have a beautiful place and take wonderful care of your animals there. I know that you have a great love for all animals. I know Maya will be well taken care of  and loved.

 

Maya was born March 19, 1999.  I had her from a week old and bottle fed her. She was used in educational programs for the first couple years she would go to schools with me. She always loved visitors at my home and would greet them with enthusiasm and purrs. She loves to be scratched around her face and under her chin.

 

I will check out the video, Thank you so much for giving her a great new home. The Florida weather will be so good for her in her old age. I would love to visit one day, it would give me a good excuse to go to FL for some warm weather.  Thank you,  Maryann Nash. Again thank you so very much.

 

Omaha Zoo Press Release for Manny & Nat

 

Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium continuously strives to improve the lives of the animals it cares for. This dedication is illustrated by the dramatic change to the Zoo’s grounds when

African Grasslands opened in spring 2016. The area’s large, open habitats with natural barriers as well as holding spaces with improved buildings and infrastructure allow for better animal care, setting the new standard for the institution. This evolution is in line with developing research in the field of animal welfare and trends in the science of behavior.

 

Currently, the Zoo is constructing a new Asian Highlands area. The Amur tigers will move from the existing cat house, comprised of smaller, moated exhibits, to 18,500 square feet of outdoor natural habitat space, including 2,300 square feet of off-habitat area. This is just one example of how the Zoo’s new area will benefit the animals.

 

As part of the Zoo’s master plan, an expansion of its North American habitat will include a new sea lion pool. The sea lions currently live in an original community swimming pool that was built in 1916, and later refurbished to house these marine mammals. The new North American area could potentially be built where the big cat house and moated bear habitats currently exist. Creating a larger, more natural area for the sea lions is another example of how the Zoo strives to improve its care standards.

 

For progress like this to occur, some of the current exhibits, such as the sea lion pool, which is no longer representative of an optimal environment for the species, need to be replaced. The Zoo has been working diligently to provide new and appropriate homes for the animals that remain in those areas. The Zoo typically works with other institutions accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), as assisting other accredited facilities is standard practice.

 

However, as most AZA-accredited zoos are also trying to provide larger, more optimal environments for their animals, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium has also looked to professional facilities to aid in providing the best long-term options for these Zoo residents. Three well-known facilities, accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS), immediately stepped up and offered to provide permanent homes for th

How I Hate Parties! Howie trying to figure out why we are the only car to show up at Christmas party that supposedly started half an hour ago. Turned out we were just the first to arrive. I really hate these cocktail parties. A lot of boring people standing around, drinking, and saying nothing of importance. I just want to stand up on the couch and scream, “Don’t you care?!?” About what, you might ask: About anything of importance. Email response to Aaron Sullivan who asked how the online business was doing: All is going well. My new VA and my old VA have been uploading products like crazy to Merch and our two online stores: BigCatRescue.biz and CatRescue.biz I made video clips of our products and uploaded them to YouTube and embedded them on our BigCatRescue.biz pages. Still working on that. Sales have doubled, but doing a lot of ads on Facebook and Amazon and coupons to our loyal Facebook LIVE viewers and coupons to previous shoppers, so not sure what is driving it, in addition to it just being the season. Rescued a new cougar today: BigCatRescue.org/Maya A new jaguar and Amur leopard are arriving next week. Those rescues and our annual Giving Tuesday (11/28) have raised around 80k so far. Still tweaking ads but I think that proficiency is just a matter of time and practice. Hope all is well w/ you and yours. Hi, I’m Carole Baskin and I’ve been writing my story since I was able to write, but when the media goes to share it, they only choose the parts that fit their idea of what will generate views. These are my views and opinions. If I'm going to share my story, it should be the whole story. The titles are the dates things happened. If you have any interest in who I really am please start at the beginning of this playlist: http://savethecats.org/ I know there will be people who take things out of context and try to use them to validate their own misconception, but you have access to the whole story. My hope is that others will recognize themselves in my words and have the strength to do what is right for themselves and our shared planet. You can help feed the cats at no cost to you using Amazon Smile! Visit BigCatRescue.org/Amazon-smile You can see photos, videos and more, updated daily at BigCatRescue.org Check out our main channel at YouTube.com/BigCatRescue Music (if any) from Epidemic Sound (http://www.epidemicsound.com) This video is for entertainment purposes only and is my opinion. Closing graphic with permission from https://youtu.be/F_AtgWMfwrk