Bengali was First to Arrive and the Last to Leave

It was either late 1997 or maybe 1998 when a friend of mine walked into my office and said, “You have to see this!”

 

That led to a road trip to nefariously meet with an elephant keeper who said that he just hated tigers and would do anything to get rid of them.  He was angry because his well hidden plot of dirt, where used elephants go to disappear, had been taken over by a long row of circus wagons full of tigers.  I could not believe my eyes when I saw circus wagon after wagon, each with a lone tiger and a water bowl and nothing else.  No shade, no toys, no place to lay except on the hot, hard floors of the iron barred cages.  The keeper said the cats had been there for a couple of years because they wouldn’t perform any more and that USDA was all over them about the conditions, but nobody wanted to spend money on building a retirement center for them because, unlike the elephants, breeding them wasn’t as lucrative.  There were plenty of back yard breeders who were using cubs for photo ops and then selling them to the circuses to be used.

 

That began 2 or 3 years of negotiations between me and the circus to get these cats out of the beast wagons and into our sanctuary.  I’d just lost my husband and the courts had seized our assets because we didn’t know where he’d gone, or if he’d be back.  His kids by a former wife didn’t want any more of “their money” being wasted on feeding and caring for lions, tigers and the other hundred or so exotic cats at the sanctuary.  I had to learn how to ask for money and help because I could only access a limited allowance, which was a third of what it cost to actually run the rescue.  There was no way I could afford to take the 20 tigers from the circus when I knew that each cat would cost me 7500.00 in just food and vet care (back then).

 

The negotiations ended with the agreement that the circus would build the cages and supply the food and vet care costs and I would take the cats who were currently sitting in Williston, FL and the rest of the tigers as they got ill or stopped performing until all 19 tigers and 1 leopard were here.  The caveat was that I could not tell anyone the name of the circus or they could take the cats back.  I held good to that promise because I shudder at the thought of where these cats could end up.

 

Just before Christmas in the year 2000 the first six tigers arrived: “the bengal” (because he never had a name and was just referred to by his breed), his brother, S.A.R.M.O.T.I., Nini, Axel, Buffy and Conan.  We added the i to Bengal to give him a proper name of Bengali.  Bengali and S.A.R.M.O.T.I. had been reported to have been born at the infamous Siegfried and Roy nightclub in Las Vegas, but because they were the “wrong” color (golden instead of white) they were handed off to the circus. They rode in a chariot behind horses, which had to be a torment to the horses, as well as the tigers, who were restrained (use your imagination for how, but I guarantee it wasn’t “positive reinforcement”) from doing what they would naturally do to horses.

 

Getting records from circuses and private owners always proves challenging.  The paperwork they arrived with said Bengali had been born in 1995, but later, one of the circus vets said they had records on him going back to 1993.  We discovered that back in 2013 when his brother S.A.R.M.O.T.I. died.  Whether he was 5 or 7 when he arrived; he was still a youngster.  Tigers usually don’t begin killing their owners and trainers until they are somewhere between 5 and 7, even though they can look full grown at a year or two.  When Bengali arrived his trainers said he was treacherous and would surely kill someone, but as soon as he had 2,000 square feet of space to himself, with a pond, cave, trees, bushes and grass, he became one of the happiest and most beloved of tigers who ever stepped foot on Tampa soil.

 

It was clear, as I tried to walk off the morning’s events, an

Teisha Tiger Euthanized

Even with the steroid therapy, recommended after seeing the results of her MRI, Teisha Tiger continued to worsen.  On May 24 she nearly choked to death because she wasn’t mobile enough to cough up small chunk of meat.

 

We began cutting her food into even smaller pieces, and feeding her on a stick to make it easier on her, but on Friday, the 27th she took her last walk.  She walked out to her pool, where she could lay in the misting breeze of her fan, and look out over the lake.  She continued to eat and took her meds but her body was failing and she could no longer walk.

 

When I saw that she was unable to get our of her own waste, I asked Dr. Wynn to come ease her to the other side. Her transition was peaceful and her suffering has ended, but I will miss her gentle spirit.

 

Final Report on Teisha Tiger

My hands were shaking, all the way up my arms and vibrating my torso.  It was the emotional tension of what was going to happen next and the physical tension of holding the Y pole in such a way to ensure that the vet wouldn't take a bite to her face and making sure that the touch against Teisha's neck was only feather light.

 

She had been sedated twenty minutes earlier and appeared to be completely unconscious but you just never know when a big cat will wake with no warning or if some muscle spasm might cause them to chomp at the air. Usually this was Jamie's roll, but she was inbound on a flight from St. Kitts, where she and Dr. Justin Boorstein, her husband and our other volunteer vet, had been lecturing to the 200 vet students there.  Gale is much more experienced as a vet tech, and was assisting by holding off a vein to cause it to bulge enough so that Dr. Wynn could inject the pink liquid that would ease Teisha to whatever comes next.

 

The needle was thin, so I could see Dr. Wynn successfully struggling against the thick fluid.  She was trying desperately to make this last moment that Teisha had on this planet one that was filled with peace and a feeling of being surrounded by souls who loved her.  As usual, when cats are sedated, I was breathing in rhythm with her and watching every heart beat, in its tiniest movement of her thick fur and whiskers.  If you have ever had to euthanize a beloved pet, or sat by the bedside of a loved one who was dying, you know that mere seconds feel like an eternity.  A wash of memories flooded over me.

 

Years ago when Ohio finally outlawed the private possession of lions, tigers and other big cats, in the wake of the Zanesville massacre, there were a couple of loud mouths who vowed they would never comply with the law.  The reasons they gave, in the ensuing legal battles, was that there was no where for their cats to go.  I always assume these big cat breeders and exploiters are lying, but give them the benefit of the doubt and contact them to let them know that there are accredited sanctuaries who will make sure the cats will find permanent homes.  I contacted Stapleton but he didn't return my emails or posts to his social pages.

 

When the Ohio Department of Agriculture enforced the law in 2015 I let them know that we and other sanctuaries, who are accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, were standing by and willing to help.  Having dealt with us before, ODA knew that we were the best equipped to deal with the health issues they were seeing in one of Stapleton's five tigers.  At the time of confiscation they noticed that she did not stand, even when darted.  When they asked if she was suffering some sort of disability, it's reported that her owner casually said that she couldn't walk because her cage mates beat her up all the time.

 

Once back at the state holding facility they treated her for deep punctures to her neck and back that appeared to have been from the other tigers biting her.  They noticed that she couldn't walk and would lay in her own waste.  Because their temporary enclosures were cement floored, ODA asked if we w

Teisha Tiger Nearly Chokes to Death

Video of the after thoughts https://youtu.be/8lHQGp_8FtM

 

I didn't go into detail in the video, but when I came up on the scene and saw that Teisha was flat on her side and didn't look like she was breathing, I decided to go in and see if I could use tongs to reach down her throat.

 

Gale drove up behind me, ran to the cage and offered to assist, so we went in and Afton manned the doors behind us.

 

I ran in to the cage, picking my way over her prone body, seeing that she was not breathing; or if she was, it was like through a cocktail straw, as her sides weren’t visibly moving.  I straddled her from behind and paused, for what seemed a long time, but probably was imperceptible to those watching.

 

I know from past experience that a cat can be totally out of it, but when you touch them they spring to life in that last ditch effort to fight you off.  My hands were poised to scruff her, with all my might, and yet, I hesitated in fear.  I leaned out over her face and saw her eyes, staring back at me and the tears that had run down her cheeks, from the pressure of not being able to breathe.

 

No matter what came next, I wasn’t going to just stand there and watch the light seep from her eyes.

 

I scruffed Teisha from behind and instructed Gale to use the tongs to pull out the meat, but it was too far down.  Teisha was choking too badly to fight us.

 

Using every bit of strength the adrenaline rush was giving me, and that of angels, and Gale, we pulled her into a sternal position and then I began stroking her throat to try and move the lump either up, which didn't work, then down.  Gale patted her hard on either side of her chest to try and loosen it up.

 

My legs shook from the tension of holding her upright, as I held up her sagging head with my right hand and stroked her windpipe, like forcing toothpaste through a tube with my left.

 

Once Teisha was held in a better position for swallowing, she used the shallow breaths she was able to get in, to cough hard enough to dislodge the meat.  As soon as we saw that she could keep herself upright Gale and I ran out of the cage.

 

We watched for a minute to see that she was breathing OK, and then filmed the video above.

 

This wasn't something we did lightly.  If we had not gone in, Teisha would have died.  She was almost dead by the time we got in to her.  We knew we could outrun her, if we could get her breathing; and that's the only reason this was possible.

 

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

Dying can be a terrible thing.

At this writing my dad isn’t dead, but I fully expect to get the sad news soon.  I keep trying to picture him happy (well, happy in whatever form he knows it) and healthy.

 

I rode my bike in to work with the intent of talking with Dad about the feasibility of bringing in a 42 x 72 foot commercial modular building to increase our gift shop space.  I’ve pretty much made up my mind that I’m going to do it, but wanted him to feel like he was making the decision.  His health has been declining steadily since his triple heart bypass surgery in August of 2010, so I use every opportunity to make him feel valued and appreciated by consulting with him on projects that he just can’t physically do any more.

 

I found him in the shed, looking for tar and measuring a roll of flashing.  He was breathing hard, but I didn’t know how much walking around he had just done looking for the supplies and it was 87 degrees outside with humidity so thick, it felt like I was breathing under water.  I didn’t think too much of his breathing difficulty and asked if he would meet me over by the gift shop to look at the space and give me his thoughts.

 

He rode up and got off his cart to stand at the fence.  Gale had joined us and we talked for about 10 minutes.  They were listing off all of the reasons why this was going to be a monumental task, which is just what they do.  I guess they have to say it all out loud, just to know it’s been said, and maybe as a way to think their way through it.  My reaction to them is always to let them negate whatever it is until they haven’t got any more to say and then tell them that I know they will figure out a way.

 

They were still going on about how hard it was going to be to put a roof over the MH when Dad sort of rocked back a little and his eyes seem to lose focus.  I realized that I should have told him to stay on the cart to begin with, rather than standing and talking, as that just wears him out.

 

He sat in the driver’s seat and said my mother knew a roof over guy, so maybe she could call him.  He seemed to be having a hard time staying focused, visually, and mentally.  Gale gave me that, “he’s not doing good” look and we tried to get him to let me take him home.

 

NO WAY!

 

He had stuff on his cart and Chuck, Scott and Josh were up on the roof of the Modglin waiting for him.  Now I was certain that he wasn’t feeling right because he wouldn’t have just abandoned his mission to talk to me about the trailer.  I’d told him when I rode up that I had a call in 30 minutes I had to take and we could do this an hour from now.  He didn’t mention anyone waiting for him.

 

He wouldn’t let me drive him on his cart, and wouldn’t let Gale take his cart, shifting him to her cart, when he insisted they needed his cart at the Modglin too.  So, I got on as the passenger on his cart and let him drive us to the Modglin.  As we passed the Kitten Cabana he started shaking so hard that he tucked his left hand up under his right arm.  By the time we reached the Office, I asked if he was holding his heart (on the other side, so obviously he wasn’t) and he said that he’d tucked his hand up like that because he couldn’t control the shaking.

 

I asked if I should call 911 and he said he wasn’t having a heart attack.  He said he was just agitated by Gale telling him what to do on the gift shop trailer, after having the crew tell him what to do on the Modglin repair.  I’m sure no one was telling him what to do; we all know better…but his brain was not firing on all cylinders.  When we got to the Modglin, Gale was trying to take his pulse and he was fending her off, agitatedly, so I told her we were fine and sent her away.  I went up to the roof and told Chuck what was going on.

 

I figured if I got Gale away from him he’d calm down.  Chuck said he’d keep an eye on him.

 

It was 10 am and I took my call.  My mother texted me 10 minutes later to let me know that Chuck had managed to get Dad to go ho

Gravity Dream

I have reoccurring dreams where I am going up a hill that is becoming increasingly steep.  It becomes a tunnel where the ceiling and the floor increasingly close in on me.  The higher I climb, the less gravity holds me to the floor and usually, in the dream, I end up clawing my way upward until I wake up.

 

This time I ended up clawing my way up the ceiling because there wasn’t enough gravity to hold me to the floor.  Just when I thought I couldn’t scratch my way up another step, the suffocatingly narrow space became an open corridor.

 

I jumped down and walked out to a beach, at the bottom of a dune, and I ran, half flying down to the shore.  I felt free and alive and all was good in my world.

 

From dream interpretation sites:

 

Gravity - To dream of there being little or no gravity is a very positive symbol of success. Your dream foretells that you will get everything you desire.

 

Climbing – Dreams about climbing a hill or a mountain can reflect specific obstacles that you are trying to overcome in your life. If you are able to reach the top of the mountain then it can indicate success in your future.

 

If you are climbing with much difficulty and struggling to move up in your dream, it can indicate a number of meanings. Slow progress in a dream can indicate that you are taking on too much work in your waking life and not giving yourself enough time to get things down. Sometimes the challenge of going uphill can represent a difficult challenge that you didn’t expect to be so difficult.

 

Appearance of beach in your dreams signifies collaboration of two aspects or emotions in your mind. This is due to the presence of two diverse dream symbols in your dreams that is water and sand over the beach. It also indicates toward positive changes going to happen in your life.

 

Beach is the symbol of emotions or conflicts going on within the mind. The nature of water, surroundings and quantity of people present influence the actual dream interpretation. The actual meaning can be derived by focusing on your emotions after visiting the beach. If you are feeling relaxed and calm after watching the ocean will signify your need to take a break from your routine day.  More: http://www.gotohoroscope.com/txt/dream-meaning-beach.html

 

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

Report of Illegal Tiger Transfers to FWC, ODA, USDA and USFWS

You never know if there is any truth to what the crazies report, but I got a call from a man, who says that Sue Pearce

 

SUE PEARCE      (ANIMAL ADVENTURES)

Customer No:        322131

Certificate No:     58-C-1011

Certificate Status:     ACTIVE

Status Date:        Apr 14, 2011

5001 S W RUCKS DAIRY ROAD

OKEECHOBEE ,FL 34974

COUNTY: OKEECHOBEE

 

is giving Joe Schreibvogel / Maldonado 23 lions and tigers and other wild cats today.

 

You may not care if all these cats are leaving your jurisdiction, but the caller said that the trailer they are using has a broken A/C unit on it, that the people driving are carrying and using meth, and carrying firearms for which they are probably not licensed in Florida.

 

The caller said the crew left Wynnewood, OK yesterday and will arrive today, driving either a burgundy or white, new, Ford dully,  towing a white trailer that has a washed out insignia on the side that said Gator Boy.  He says their crates for the big cats are not secure, and that the GW Zoo has no cage space for the cats when they return.

 

He says the primary driver, John Finley, is sure to be on drugs and carrying drugs and that he is also sure to be carrying a gun.  He says that the zoo's head of security (Marc, I think) will also be carrying a gun.  He says they always carry sedation equipment, although none of them are veterinarians and none have a DEA license.

 

It's hard to imagine that Sue Pearce will have health certificates for these cats, who are supposedly headed across state lines.

 

If all of this is a hoax, I apologize, but I've gotten reliable reports from this person before, and telling you when something is going to happen is about the only way to catch the bad guys in the act.  He claims it will be today.

 

Follow up included:

 

The plates on the burgundy Ford and the white Ford are Oklahoma 416 LVP and 417 LVP in case you guys use plate recognition software.

 

XXX called me later in the day to verify that the trucks were really Fords, because when he ran them they were Dodges that were registered to a different Schreibvogel (probably Shirley, Joe’s mother)  Steve said he really wanted to catch Sue Pearce because believed she had illegally transferred tigers to Colorado but he had not been able to get the state to prosecute.

 

We talked about this being a violation of the Lacey Act, especially easy to prove now that the USFWS had rescinded the generic tiger loophole.  XXX said that didn’t go into effect until the 26th of this month, but I found the document online and emailed the following to him:

 

DATES: This rule becomes effective on May 6, 2016:    http://www.fws.gov/policy/library/2016/2016-07762.pdf

 

Joe's been hiding assets in his parents' names, so you may find that the tags / vehicles are not in his name, or that of his new partner Jeff Lowe.

 

XXX said they are really short handed, but that he very much wants to catch them in the act.  He said it would be perfect if he could get someone in GA to care enough to pick them up, after they cross the state line, because of the need for the two part violation to enforce the Lacey Act. The law requires that you break a state law in the process of breaking the federal law, and that would happen as soon as they cross state lines with the tigers.

 

It is so frustrating to know these animal abusers are breaking the law, to have good intel on when and how to catch them, and they still get away.  This is my opinion.

 

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 t

Email from me to Howie about Rep. Ralph Poppell

I just got off the phone with former FL Rep Ralph Poppell, who had called to congratulate me on the Florida Trend article (by Mike Vogel on 3/28/16 http://www.floridatrend.com/print/article/19728).  He was the guy who took on the snake trade in FL and assisted us in getting the 10k bond tacked onto it circa 2006-2009.

 

He reminisced about being the first legislator to address the snake owning community and how he had used the threat of budget cuts to get buy in from the FWC, since the legislature clearly does regulate that.  He was saying that in order to get anything done in FL you have to find a legislator who isn't afraid to buck the system and push the rules to the limit in order to get the right thing done.

 

I asked if he still knows anyone like that because I'd like to put an end to the private possession of big cats in FL and need someone who isn't going to back down the minute the FWC says they have constitutional authority.  He immediately suggested Alan Hays https://www.flsenate.gov/senators/s11 and said he'd try to think of someone in the House.

 

I told him that we had done a ton of research and felt like we could make a good case for why the FWC only has constitutional authority over native wildlife and not captive born wildlife and that I'd like to share that with him and anyone he thought might be the person to take up our quest of ending big cat ownership in FL.  He said he'd be happy to look at it and pass it on, if we wanted.  His email address is xxx

 

Later he was talking about all of the environmental bills he passed so I told him that I felt the AG was animal friendly and might consider our research for the issuance of an opinion, but that it was my understanding that only a government agency could ask for such a thing. (I didn't go into detail about why I thought the AG might care nor the Pepin involvement)  I asked him to think about whether he still knows anyone at DNR who might be willing to make such a request, based upon the fact that escaped, non native wildlife cause harm to the environment, when they displace native wildlife.

 

He said he'd think about who he knows, but said that as long as we get the chair of either the House or Senate Appropriation Committees to make the ask, he thinks the legislature can finagle such an opinion.  He said the basis would be on having the AG determine how much money is being wasted on inspecting backyard breeders to put pressure on defunding that, via banning it, in order to better fund native wildlife protection.

 

From the FL Trend article he noted that I was married and congratulated me.  I told him I was married during the time that we were working on the python bill, but that you had spent your early years getting the sanctuary onto sound financial footing so that we could do more of the advocacy work.  I told him that you became far more involved after 2011, so if you want to call him or email him about the constitutional issue, I think he'd be happy to hear from you.

His phone number is xxx

 

For the cats,

Carole Baskin, CEO of Big Cat Rescue

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

Author of Big Cat Care - How to Start a Sanctuary

12802 Easy Street Tampa, FL  33625

Caring for cats ♥ Ending the trade

YouTube:  Watch us on BigCatTV.com More than 134 million views

Facebook:  Join more than 2 Million Big Cat Rescue fans http://www.facebook.com/BigCatRescue

 

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

PROPOSED FLORIDA EXOTIC ANIMAL MODELLED AFTER FEDERAL BILL

 

KEY PROVISIONS AND REASONS FOR THEM

 

CURRENT FL LAW

 

After the FL Supreme Court ruled years ago that the Constitutional Amendment did not give the predecessor to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) power to regulate captive exotic animals, the Legislature passed what is now renumbered as FS 379 granting FWC that power.  379.3762 reads:

 

379.3762 Personal possession of wildlife.

—

(1) It is unlawful for any person or persons to possess any wildlife as defined in this act, whether native to Florida or not, until she or he has obtained a permit as provided by this section from the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

(2) The classifications of types of wildlife and fees to be paid for permits for the personal possession of wildlife shall be as follows:

(a) Class I—Wildlife which, because of its nature, habits, or status, shall not be possessed as a personal pet.

(b) Class II—Wildlife considered to present a real or potential threat to human safety, the sum of $140 per annum.

(c) Class III—All other wildlife not included in Class I or Class II, for which a no-cost permit must be obtained from the commission.

(3) Any person, firm, corporation, or association exhibiting or selling wildlife and being duly permitted as provided by s. 379.304 shall be exempt from the fee requirement to receive a permit under this section.

(4) This section shall not apply to the possession, control, care, and maintenance of ostriches, emus, rheas, and bison domesticated and confined for commercial farming purposes, except those kept and maintained on hunting preserves or game farms or primarily for exhibition purposes in zoos, carnivals, circuses, and other such establishments where such species are kept primarily for display to the public.

(5) A person who violates this section is punishable as provided in s. 379.4015.

History.

 

So, in Florida, theoretically you cannot own a big cat as a pet. You supposedly must “exhibit” in order to have a license from FWC to own the cat. But there are no regulations defining criteria for what constitutes exhibiting, like rules about a minimum number of visitors or minimum amount of revenue to be an exhibitor.

 

Under federal law you are supposed to have a license from USDA to exhibit. One might presume then that if you do not have a USDA license, or lose your USDA license, you would become a pet owner under FL law.  There was one case we know of where a person lost their USDA license and we complained to FWC that since the person could not legally exhibit, they were a pet owner in violation of FL law.  FWC said they do not enforce federal law, so whether the person was in violation of federal law was not relevant, and if they said they were an exhibitor, they qualify as an exhibitor.

 

So, in practice the supposed ban on having a big cat as a pet is meaningless because there is no definition of “exhibit” and apparently all an owner has to do is say they exhibit.

 

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)

There are 2 Reasons Why Zoo Keepers Are Killed by Tigers

1 There has been a failure in the safety measures to keep tigers and zoo keepers apart, or

 

2 The zoo keeper doesn’t understand their relationship with tigers or any other big cat.

 

There is a lot that can go wrong, from failing latches, to not having a clear line of sight between the cat and keeper to the mishaps that are caused by a keeper purposely entering the cats’ space. Even if the cats are not killed, for doing what comes naturally, they are doomed to life in prison.

 

Night Houses seem to often be part of the human / big cat mauling or killing scenario and maybe it is because it is such a cruel practice. Cats are most active at night, but for liability reasons are shut in prison-like, windowless, cells by zoos when they are closed. The cats hate it, so they have to withhold food to force them in at night.

 

Big Cat Rescue does not lock cats up at night and thanks to our mild climate in Florida, does not utilize any sort of indoor housing for the big cats. Because there are no solid walls or doors, the keepers at Big Cat Rescue can always see where the cat is before approaching the enclosure. Caregivers at the sanctuary do not enter the enclosures of any big cat, unless that cat is safely locked into another portion of the cage by the CEO or President and the Operations Manager.

 

Exotic cats are spectacularly intelligent creatures and have years to plot their escape or revenge.

 

The second reason keepers are killed by big cats is that they think they are “tiger whisperers” or they think they have some super natural bond with apex predators that makes them special.  Anyone who espouses such nonsense shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near a captive big cat, because they clearly do not understand exotic cats.  It is just a matter of time before it ends in tragedy.

 

Cats in cages may be solicitous of their owners or keepers, but that’s because they have to beg for everything. It’s sad to see it, when you think about how majestic these animals are meant to be.  Humans mistake their temporary power, ensured by the strength of the cage, for having a bond or relationship with the big cat.  Tigers have their own agenda and it doesn’t include pleasing people.  Some may not be overtly nasty about it, but given a choice will escape and never look back.

At Big Cat Rescue our caregivers are trained to feed and clean small cats, like bobcats, servals, caracals and lynx for 6 months before they can graduate to cougars.  We are a NO TOUCH facility; no, not even their fingertips, may touch the cats!  If they prove themselves trustworthy around the smaller cats, they can graduate to cougar keeping.  They are with us about two years before they are even allowed to be in the sections where lions, tigers and leopards are housed.  That two year process allows us ample time to weed out the delusional people who think they could get away with touching a big cat and live to tell about it.

 

More Resources on the Captive Big Cat Issues

 

Just like the better zoos are accredited by AZA, the better sanctuaries are accredited by GFAS. http://SanctuaryFederation.org

 

These are the big cat standards for GFAS:  http://www.sanctuaryfederation.org/gfas/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/FelidStandardsJuly2013HA.pdf

 

The state of Florida does not allow contact with big cats over 40 lbs., but may have some exemption for employees. http://myfwc.com/license/captive-wildlife/

 

Never Pay To Pet Cubs

 

USDA has enforced actions against facilities that allowed public contact with big cat cubs over the age of 12 weeks, as they can take off a finger at that age and just recently announced they will cite facilities for pimping out cubs under the age of 4 weeks. AZA zoos don’t do that, but there are plenty of backyard breeders that do.  https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_welfare/downloads/big_cat/big_cat_q&a.pdf

 

April 3, 2016 USDA cracks down on abuse of cubs under the age of four weeks. In response

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Strengthens Protections for Captive Tigers under the Endangered Species Act

 

In an effort to strengthen protections for certain captive tigers under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has finalized a rule declaring that captive “generic” tigers — tigers of unknown genetic background or crosses between two different subspecies of tigers — are no longer exempt from certain permitting requirements.

 

Anyone selling tigers across state lines must now first obtain an interstate commerce permit or register under the Captive-bred Wildlife Registration program regardless of whether it is a generic tiger or a pure subspecies.

 

“Removing the loophole that enabled some tigers to be sold for purposes that do not benefit tigers in the wild will strengthen protections for these magnificent creatures and help reduce the trade in tigers that is so detrimental to wild populations,” said Service Director Dan Ashe. “This will be a positive driver for tiger conservation.”

 

The wild tiger is under severe threat from habitat loss and the demand for tiger parts in traditional Asian medicine. Once abundant throughout Asia, today the species numbers only 3,000-5,000 animals in small fragmented groups. As a result, tigers are protected as endangered under the ESA and under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) – the highest levels of international protection. Tigers readily breed in captivity, however, and the number of captive tigers in the United States alone likely exceeds the numbers found in the wild, although the exact number is currently unknown.

 

The Service has worked with international partners to implement measures that ensure wild tigers survive in their native habitats and that captive tigers do not contribute to the illegal trade in tiger parts.  While this new rule does not prevent individuals from owning generic tigers, extending the permitting or registration requirement to all tigers strengthens the Service’s efforts in addressing the illegal wildlife trade, both domestically and internationally. This rule results in a uniform policy that applies to all tigers and will help Service law enforcement agents enforce the ESA.

 

The final rule will publish in the Federal Register on April 6, 2016, and will go into effect 30 days after publication on May 6, 2016.

 

For a copy of the final rule, please go to http://www.fws.gov/policy/frsystem/default.cfm and click on 2016 Final Rules for Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants.

 

Note: Big Cat Rescue has been pressuring the USFWS since at least 2007 to rescind this loophole and on 8/22/11 after a meeting with the USFWS the Generic Tiger issue was published to the Federal Register for public comment and got over 15,000 comments in support of our request to ban the breeding of non purebred tigers. Carole Baskin emailed those in charge, at least every six months, during this 9 year process, always asking when they would finally take action.  According to their Q&A it sounds like the USFWS may still rubber stamp activities that really don’t help tiger conservation, but it’s a step. Regulations can’t work, because USDA and USFWS don’t have the resources nor apparently the will to enforce the weak rules they have, so that is why we need an all out ban on the private possession of big cats.  You can help get that done at http://BigCatAct.com

 

Questions and Answers

 

U.S. Captive-bred Inter-subspecific Crossed or Generic Tigers

Final Rule

 

What action is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service taking?

 

The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service has finalized a rule that strengthens protections for certain captive tigers under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The final rule declares that captive “generic tigers” (Panthera tigris) (i.e., specimens not identified or identifiable as members of Bengal, Sumatran, Siberian or Indochinese subspecies (P. t. tigris,