Carole Baskins Diary

Jamie recommended the movie called The Founder.

It was the story of how Ray Kroc build McDonalds into the fast food business that daily feeds 1% of the entire human population.  This was my email to her the day after seeing it:

 

Last night I went to see The Founder.  Great movie!  Thanks!

 

As you know, it opens with this Calvin Coolidge quote and ends with it again.

 

I wrote that quote out, in pencil, and decorated with with little animals around the edges, and then framed it.  The quote sat on my desk, at every desk job I ever had, from about the time I was 15 until I was in my thirties, maybe.  I don't know where it got lost along the way, but I can nearly say it by heart from reading it so many times.

 

Whenever I feel like things just couldn't be more difficult, the first line always reassures me that I am going to make it work.

 

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” ~ Calvin Coolidge

 

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.  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

I didn’t know what day of the week this was

but I’m grateful for so many things.  I got a text after midnight that my new Apple keyboard has shipped.  I broke the K on this one, making it really hard to type.  Who knew K was such an important letter.

 

I’m grateful that I was able to ride my bike yesterday and got in ahead of the thunder storm.  I saw no evidence of weather moving in, other than a ridiculously harsh southern wind, but I awoke to thunder and lightning like I haven’t seen in a while.

 

I am really happy the new gift shop is dried in.

 

Yesterday was the first day in forever that I was able to sit still and learn from Simon Sinek on leadership (2 podcasts) and Rick Mulready on Facebook ads, and I even managed a training session with Donny at Facebook on Lead Generation.  I created several ads that I hope will help us win the Valspar tournament contest and increase download sales for our printables at BigCatRescue.biz

 

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.  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

Love and Sex

The photo was last night when Howie was playing with Jamie’s dog Hurley and being watched by Babylon the cat.

 

This morning Howie pounced into the bed and said, “We have an emergency!”  He ripped off his pajamas did need immediate attention.  All I could say afterwards was, “Well, aren’t YOU full of surprises?”

 

I came in to my computer to start my day and am now in tears at the beautiful letter he wrote his cousin Alan last night:

 

February 6, 2017

 

Dear Al,

 

Over the years I think the only mail you have ever got from me was sent as humor like the recent defective golf shoes letter (for which I am still expecting payment.)  Or like the enclosed “Anatomy of a Kvetch.”

 

This is not one of those letters.

 

I have been thinking of you multiple times each day since we last spoke.  I did not want to call again because it so clearly exhausted you.  So I decided to write.

 

I am so very sorry to hear you struggling so. The closest I can personally identify to what you are describing in terms of lack of energy is the recovery from my heart surgery two years ago.  In addition to the normal strain of such surgery I lost a lot of blood and was very anemic. If I did as much as get up and use the bathroom, I was so exhausted I had to go back to sleep in the recliner.

 

I had the psychological benefit of knowing “this too shall pass.” It is unclear to me if you are still having the Cleveland Clinic there do tests?  I so hope you can find a cause and a solution for this.

 

Speaking of Cleveland Clinic, you probably saved my life by insisting I go there. You may or may not recall, but the doctor there, who only does mitral valve work and has done more than any person in the world, said mine was one of the most difficult he had ever done. The doctor I had picked out here in Tampa was of course very good.  But I have real doubts about whether he could have handled that level of difficulty and whether I would have had such a good outcome, or even lived.

 

I have always felt that you and I had a very unique bond. It started of course with your relationship with Mom. Even in the most difficult of times, if your name came up, it brought a smile to her face and triggered a glint in her eye. Rick still remembers as a youngster the time you showed up at the door unannounced. He had no idea who you are and I cannot right now recall the clowning you did with him, but he still tells the story.

 

In reflecting on that bond, it occurs to me that I think in part it was based on two things we have in common. One was simply operating with integrity, a relatively rare value these days. I remember your explaining to me why you quit litigating – because the judges were crooked and you were not going to play that game. Your integrity was a common thread thoughout all of our discussions on any topic over the years.

 

When Mom was close to the end she called me to her bedside one day. This brings tears to my eyes as I write and I have to pause.  She said “I hope you are successful in your life however you decide to define it.  It may be money or your job. I just want you to remember one thing. No matter how successful you are in your career or your finances, something or someone one can always take it away.  There is only one thing that nobody but you can take away from you – and that is your honor.”

 

That is how I have tried to live my life and I honestly believe I have. It is how you lived yours I believe.  

 

The second thing that strikes me we uniquely have in common is our bantering sense of humor.  I cannot think of anyone who could give me back as well as I gave more than you.  And because we had similar senses of humor, I think we both could appreciate the other’s humor.  I am reminded of that glorious day on the golf course…”Hey Alan”  “What?”  “Ever hit it into that water?”  I would not trade all the holes in one in the world for that 18th hole eagle!

 

And speaking of your humor brings to mind the time at my townhouse in

Gift Shop, Bobcat Rehab and Feeding Volunteer Expansion Projects On May 15, 2016 I purchased a 48 x 72 foot, 1996 MH from Marty at AAA that had previously been a TECO office, for 42,000.00 It’s purpose is to replace the 1200 SF Gift Shop so we can use the old Gift Shop for tour staging, inside in the A/C. Today it’s getting new A/C and Victor Alonzo has been working for a week to pull out all of the rotted, moldy, walls and ceilings so we can replace and repair. I estimate that we will have 100k in it when done, but to build it would have been three times that. On June 28, 2016 we began our Bobcat Rehab expansion. That’s turned out to be a $345,000.00 project that will give us 8 cages when done. We are about half way done with Cage #4 right now and will try these out for a while to be sure we like them. On Sept 28, 2016 I purchased a mobile home from Marty at AAA to put on the lot right outside our back gate where the little single wide called The Goose House sits. In Feb. 2017 I finally got AAA to move the Goose House to the side of Food Prep for Gale to use as a new Keeper Cafe, but the county is still jerking us around on permitting the new MH on the old site of the Goose House. I bought a lot of lots and trailers on Meadowview last year. Four at one time from one owner and a few others. Those projects are all going on now too, but the ones above have been my priority. That and webcams… Today one of our viewers snapped this of me, from the webcam I was trying to position out on Nabisco and Mrs Claws. Not enough signal though, so it’s on Moses Bobcat for now. 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. 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

Jamie ordered a $7500 tiger transport.  Should be done in 4 weeks.

In the nothing-is-ever-easy category:

 

A truck fell into an abandoned septic tank yesterday trying to move a portable building that will be used as our onsite Volunteer lounge.  Gale will be running and stocking it.  I suggested she name it Gale's Kitchen, but she wants to call it the Keeper Kafe.

 

We called on a friend with a crane to lift the truck out, but now have to pump the old tank and fill it so that we can move the portable.

 

The Keeper Kafe will be an area for volunteers to relax, have a cup of coffee, eat lunch and get out of the heat for a while before resuming duties. We currently have a building, called the Leopard Lounge for that purpose, but it's not in a strategic area for volunteers to access.  We will convert it to storage.

 

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.  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

Jamie’s Tribute to Charaka Tiger

There was an instant connection when we first met. As you took your first steps into your new home your eyes widened. You seemed to be torn between fear and wonder. You looked directly at me and I told you everything was ok now. You came right over and chuffed a hearty chuff in my face as if you were glad to see a familiar soul. Then you went on exploring your new home in amazement.

 

From that moment on we were each others person. I visited you every single day, many days more than once. No matter the hectic work load I always took the time. In return you cheerfully greeted me without fail. You rubbed your fluffy ruff against the enclosure wall and moaned on and on about your day.

 

You were so content to have someone just sit with you. Your heart was filled with love and you took joy in everything that surrounded you.

 

You delighted in shredding your palms one by one, you loved every kind of spice and perfume, you ripped up all of your enrichment into a thousand tiny pieces, and you transformed into a kitten when you were given your first toys.

 

You lived life as if you knew that this goodness would not last long. Your loss was a tragedy, one that I am still trying to recover from. Your lesson was to live life to the fullest, for we know not how long we have on this earth and no matter the losses one might have suffered, the holes in their hearts will eventually be filled again.

 

You had a big space to fill in my heart.

 

I look forward to meeting the soul that will fill the void you have left behind. I only knew you for a short time, but it was like we had known each other an eternity.

 

I will miss you forever Charaka sweet boy.

 

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.  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

Scott's Go Fund Me page

I prepared this text for Scott’s family and friends to set up a Go Fund Me page because I didn’t want to be responsible for fundraising on his behalf.  Here is what I would suggest for Scott's Go Fund Me page, for his lung transplant, subject to edits you guys might want to make:

 

Scott Haller has been an unsung hero, working behind the scenes at Big Cat Rescue, since 2012.  You've probably never noticed him in our videos, or read about his feats in our newsletters, but you've seen him in everything that makes Big Cat Rescue a haven for exotic cats.

 

If you love the 2.5 acre Vacation Rotation enclosure, where the lions, tigers and leopards get two week vacations year round, then you've seen the results of Scott's hands.  If you marvel at the roofed FunCation that provides a safe vacation for the leopards, cougars and smaller cats at Big Cat Rescue, then you've witnessed his work.

 

If you love the fact that the cats have spring filled ponds, pumped from our 18 acre lake, one of the people behind the electricity and plumbing to make that happen is Scott. When we jump in a truck to rescue a cat, it's Scott who has made sure the vehicle is road worthy.

 

If you've ever been to the sanctuary and had the benefit of working lights, TV screens that share our cats lives, or washed your hands in a sink, then you can thank Scott.  If your ride down a quarter acre of dirt road to our gate didn't require you to call a tow truck, then Scott is someone you can thank for that.

 

Some of the funding for Big Cat Rescue comes from rental properties.  Scott is our first line of defense against those properties falling into ruin, as he maintains them and overhauls them when necessary.  He takes care of the electric, plumbing, roofing, reflooring, cabinetry...you name it.  If it needs to be built or fixed, we call on Scott.

 

Scott and I are the same age; both born in 1961 and we both have a lot yet left to do to end the trade in big cats as pets, props and parts.  According to Scott's doctors, he's healthy in every way, and would have many years of vitality left...if he could breathe.

 

For the past couple of years I've seen Scott show up for work every day and be brought to his knees over and over again to try and catch his breath.  Imagine doing the hard labor he does, and having the heart of a lion to do more, but not being able to fill your lungs with air.  You can help Scott get the lung transplant he needs.

 

It's a wonderful gift of life to a fellow human being and means a better life for all of us and the wild cats of Big Cat Rescue.

 

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.  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

Is it Trump’s inaugural day or the beginning of the end?

It’s Mom’s 76th birthday so I sent her a silly JibJab card of her in a loincloth singing Hear Me Roar, by Katy Perry and I cried.

 

All day I’ve had this oppressive weight on my chest that feels like the days leading up to a hurricane, when I can’t take a deep breath without feeling the impending doom, or in the days following 9/11 when it just felt like every news story was going to announce the end of life as we know it.

 

All day the headlines have been talking about how within an hour of taking office Trump had deleted all official reference to climate change.  Our Director of Outreach, Jen, had been trying to locate all the new Environmental Committee members who deal with protecting animals or the environment and was told, across the board, that the new appointees don’t intend to have a person in that role.

 

I just don’t know what kind of world this may become if our leaders are not inclined to protect the very infrastructure that supports all life on this planet.

 

Then there was just the insult to injury issues such as the attorney for Kenny Hetrick getting all nasty with me and demanding that I comply with her Ohio county order requiring that I let that man and his minions come onto our grounds.

 

Ms. x,

 

I am easily accessible via our website.  Anyone can find my email or cell phone number there, for that matter.  People so rarely spell my name right that I typically use [email protected] instead, so it's a little obnoxious that you are making so much of nothing.

 

As for the Hetricks visiting, I am not convinced that your local order has any authority over the way I do business.  I've seen the conditions the Hetricks kept these cats in and my opinion of them is that they are publicity hounds with no interest in the wellbeing of the cats.

 

There is no release form that I feel would adequately protect me from a slip and fall type "accident" that the Hetrick's might file, just to keep their names in the press.  Under my USDA license, no member of the public is allowed behind the barricade, so I couldn't let them close to the cats, even if I were inclined to do so.

 

For the cats,

 

Carole Baskin, CEO of Big Cat Rescue

 

"Judge me by the enemies I have made."  - Franklin D. Roosevelt

 

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.  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

Dear Thomas and Feld Family,

 

I am so thankful that you have decided to end the use of big cats in your acts.  I was surprised, as I would have thought the show would go on, but more as entertainment by human entertainers.  Regardless, it ends many years of strife between your company and those of us who believe that wild cats are not meant to be bred for life in cages.

 

Articles are saying you are considering "suitable homes" for the cats, but the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries has not been alerted to the need for these homes, and I can assure you that there are no suitable homes outside of GFAS oversight.

 

Back in 1999 when we contracted with you to take all of the big cats as they came off the road, our understanding was that you were getting out of the big cat business.  We held up our end.  As you know, the 18 cats you retired here lived much longer, richer lives than anywhere else.

 

We felt it was a breach of contract for Feld to then go and contract acts who owned their own cats, but your lawyers were better than I was at crafting language and we spent the next 16 years feeling like we had been used.  While you did pay for the upkeep of your cats, the primary purpose of the agreement was to end the use of big cats in your acts, from our perspective.

 

We were grateful that you did retire the cats here, and we loved every one of them until the end.  We'd really like to see a complete end of the use of wild cats in all circus acts and would like to talk to you about providing a retirement home for the cats you've used but this time with a contract that better seals our agreement; that you and those surrendering the cats, will never possess exotic cats again.

 

I remember sitting in the parking lot of our sanctuary with Kenneth Feld, all those years ago, and he said that he didn't like being in the animal business and that as soon as the public didn't want to see animals in circus acts, he wouldn't have animals in circus acts.  I appreciate that he and his family have made this momentous decision to end the use of wild animals and we want to help assure that you are able to give the proper "cradle to grave" support that you have claimed as your mantra.

 

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.  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

World Wildlife Fund Quotes Howie and Lauds Big Cat Rescue

A few hours before sundown on October 18, 2011, law enforcement officials in Zanesville, Ohio, received a strange 911 call: The neighbor of a man named Terry Thompson had spotted a black bear running loose on Thompson’s property—then a large male lion. As police officials drove toward the scene, they began spotting other large carnivores. The area was residential, and there was a school soccer game happening nearby, so the officers were ordered to shoot the animals. By the following morning, they had killed six bears, 17 lions, and a slew of other wild creatures—including 18 tigers. Thompson had released all of them from the enclosures in his yard before committing suicide.

 

The Zanesville incident was so bizarre and horrific that it made international headlines. But it was also a rude awakening to the fact that many people in the US own exotic animals, including Panthera tigris. There are thousands of captive tigers throughout the country. You can find them in backyard enclosures, petting zoos, and even truck stops. They outnumber the tigers believed to remain in the wild today. And beyond the problems their captivity poses in the US, it’s putting their wild counterparts at risk.

 

Leigh Henry, WWF’s senior policy advisor for wildlife conservation, says she first became aware of the issue around 2006. “I was working on WWF’s TRAFFIC team at the time,” Henry says. “An organization called Save the Tiger Fund approached us and said, ‘We’re concerned about captive tigers in the US. Nobody knows much about them. If we get you some funding, could you do a study?’”

 

With the help of a consultant, Henry put together the first comprehensive report on tiger ownership in the US. The results of their research were jarring. Not only did there appear to be roughly 5,000 captive tigers across the country, but the vast majority of those cats—about 95%—were, like Thompson’s tigers, privately owned. That total is just an estimate, Henry adds. “No one can say for certain, because the US actually has no comprehensive system for monitoring captive tigers.”

 

Instead, Henry found regulations that were patchy and riddled with loopholes. The US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), for example, required permits for certain activities that would normally be prohibited under the Endangered Species Act (such as breeding tigers or transporting them across state lines). But at the time, the FWS exempted generic tigers—tigers with genes from multiple subspecies—from those rules. “Generic tigers are basically mutts, for lack of a better word,” Henry says. “Since they aren’t genetically pure, they don’t have conservation value to the FWS. But most of the tigers in the US are generic.” So the FWS wasn’t monitoring them.

 

The USDA, meanwhile, required exhibitor licenses for tigers that were being shown to the public—whether for free or for profit—but not for tigers that people simply wanted to keep privately as pets. Many states banned private possession of the cats, but still exempted anyone with a USDA license. A handful of others allowed possession with a state-issued permit, and several had no barriers whatsoever.

 

“Those laws have enormous loopholes. USDA licenses are easy to get, and many people who apply for them are just pet owners trying to evade the state bans,” says Howard Baskin. Baskin and his wife Carole run Big Cat Rescue, a 67-acre large cat sanctuary in Tampa, Florida, that’s been operating since 1992. They currently shelter about 70 cats—including 12 tigers. Some came to the sanctuary from people who tried their best to care for the animals but didn’t have the knowledge or resources to meet their needs.

 

“But then there are owners like Terry Thompson, or the woman in Ohio who had four tigers and two lions, and declawed and defanged many of them,” Baskin says. “She would chain them down and charge people thousands of dollars to receive big cat ‘training’ experience. People