Sending Jamie and Her Film to the International Wildlife Film Festival

For Christmas your film, The Big Cat Picture was entered into the International Wildlife Film Festival by Big Cat Rescue.  Your mother has paid for you and a guest to attend the International Film Festival.  You will be leaving Tampa May 2 and returning May 9.  During the Festival you are signed up to see:

 

The Kodak Film Experience, Fly-fishing; Trail ride, Dinner Reception, Kodak Student Training, Sounds from the field, Film Screenings daily, Filmmaking Ethics, Copyright issues, Native people Filmmakers for conservation, Underwater filmmaking workshop, Cowboy Chili Feed, Field trip, to the National Bison Range, Mini Training seminars by Kodak, Meso-American Aquatic,  Women with a wild side work shop, How to be a star presenter, The future of wildlife, programming, Cinco de Mayo celebration, How to pitch film commissioners, Getting the shot Music for film, International distribution, Western barn dance, Raptors of the Rockies field trip Anatomy of an Award Winning film, Attracting younger viewers, Covering the uncovered, Triple your productivity, White water rafting, Annual Awards Show.

 

There is some sort of food gathering each night at the festival.  You will be staying in a historic Victorian Bed and Breakfast that serves breakfast daily. The B& B is ¼ mile from the Film Festival and the downtown area.

 

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.

Honeymoon at St. John’s Island in the U.S. Virgin Islands

 

Tonight is our last night at Beit Hawa, which means the House of the Winds.  Howie’s friends, Barry and Margarite Rich let us use their island home for our honeymoon.  Tonight has been the best day yet.  The vacation allowed us to do a lot of things that were fun and gave us the chance to get away from the phones and hassles of our daily life.  It inspired a lot of lovemaking in some pretty interesting places, including the porch over Rendezvous Bay.  We had time to read and to write and to reflect and tonight our collective creative juices were cascading like the waterfalls of Cinnamon Bay.  It was unstoppable and as we each shared what we had been working on.  We were amazed to see how closely our goals and dreams dovetailed.

 

Howie has asked me several times to sit down and write out a 20 year plan.  He wanted me to be clear about what it is that I want so that he can help me achieve it within a time frame that leaves us some time to enjoy life without every day being a struggle.  He was being remarkably generous in offering me 20 years to get there and so I did my best to draft a plan that would do it in 10.  The result is the 2005 Master Plan that I won’t detail here yet because I just gave him the first draft and he will undoubtedly fine tune it to make it workable.

 

 

I am so blessed to have a husband who is so willing and capable of making my dreams come true.  I have been concerned that these have been MY dreams and that ending the suffering of exotic cats in captivity is just not what Howie would prefer to be doing with his time.  He has told me that he wants to play more tennis and play more golf and spend more time at peace.  The idea of administering such an aggressive plan as we proposed to each other tonight did not seem to me to be the way for him to have the leisure time he wanted.  He confessed tonight that it may just be the product of too much caffeine in the coffee and cigar he had this afternoon and that tomorrow he will wonder what on earth he was thinking.  If that is the case, that is okay too.

 

For now he says that it takes a couple of years to really get a handle on a situation and to start to make sense of it.  He believes that he sees a path to reach the ultimate goal that I seek and that although it means structuring his time differently, and less play time, it will give him the sense of purpose that his life has lacked.  I often think about what it will mean to be at the end of my time here, looking back.  Will I feel that I spent this time wisely?  Will I have made a difference?  I think we all have moments like these, but unfortunately too many of us don’t have them until it is too late.  I don’t want to cause Howie stress.  I want him to get out of life whatever he needs to make him happy.  I just can’t help but think that achieving a definable goal will bring far more satisfaction than any game can.

 

Our honeymoon was spectacular!  The house is beautiful and there is always a strong wind so it is cool even in the direct sun.  There is a waterfall and small pool, a Jacuzzi, main house and guest house.  The view is stunning and ever changing with the clouds, the sun on the bay, the pelicans by day and bats by night flying by and the howling of the winds.  We spent three days snorkeling and did a little hiking.  The coral reefs were full of beautiful fish, turtles, sting rays, sea urchins and color.  We swam until we were out of breath and then just floated, face down, watching all of the underwater dramas unfold.  We visited Caneel Bay, Hawksnest Bay, Cinnamon Bay, Trunk Bay, Salt Pond Bay and of course Cruz Bay where the ferry brought us in.  Howie did a great job of getting us around the island on these narrow roads despite rain, mud slides, sand slides and vertical pathways and all of it done on the left side of the road!  The whole island is only 9 miles across and we drove every paved inch of it.

 

We ate at the De

I Married Howard Gene Baskin

I met Howie on Nov. 1, 2002 and we were engaged on the beach of Anna Marie Island on Nov. 1, 2003 and married on that same beach Nov. 1, 2004.  Howie’s friend got his notary’s license in order to perform the wedding.  Jamie’s boyfriend, Daniel Capiro played the guitar and Jamie gave me away.  As you can tell from the photos, it wasn’t your typical wedding.  Howie insisted that we all precede him to the beach.  In the distance I saw a caveman coming our way and from that very distinct walk said, “I think that’s Howie!”

 

He wanted to so something memorable and he really succeeded.  He says it’s a testament to my good nature that I wasn’t mad that he’d do something so silly.  I love him all the more for it.   He did put a coat over his caveman dress for the actual ceremony.  He wanted us to write up vows that would be like a constitution for how we would deal with each other.  These were mine to him. 

 

Proposed Wedding Vows

 

I promise to always treat you with love and respect.

I promise to always yield to your desires to the extent that I can without sacrificing my faith or the well being of the cats in my charge.

I promise to be loyal and faithful to you.

I promise to take care of my body for your pleasure.

I promise to cherish and care for you long after you have forgotten my name.

I promise to always yield to your will… as long as it does not conflict with mine.

I promise to eliminate the possibility of death by poisoning by NOT surprising you with a home cooked meal.

I promise to never discharge a weapon in your direction unless you are being strangled by an anaconda.

I promise to leave ALL my cats to you when I die.

I promise that if the exotic cat issues are cured within our lifetime that I won’t start bringing home stray dogs, elephants or homeless WWII vets.

I promise to never join a nude PeTA protest without adequately cloaking my identity.

I promise to always refer to you as my Last husband and not my Latest husband; you can introduce me as “her majesty”.

I promise that you will never have to deal with more than one of my personalities at a time…Whoa! Who said that?... You can’t go making promises like that without a vote… Some of us shouldn’t be allowed to vote…Hey, I resemble that remark…  We will have to get back to you on this one.

 

Carole Baskin Weds Howard Baskin

 

Big Cat Wedding:  Big Cat Rescue Founder Carole Lewis weds Advisory Board Chairman Howard Baskin on Nov. 1, 2004 !  On Nov. 1, 2002 Howie and Carole met at the kick off party for a new concept that Mary Hessler Key was introducing to Tampa Bay called No More Homeless Pets. The coalition was being formed to end euthanasia of healthy dogs and cats in shelters by implementing an aggressive spay and neuter program. Big Cat Rescue is one of the founding members of No More Homeless Pets of Hillsborough County.

 

At that party, Howie won Carole’s adoration immediately because he had actually visited WildLife on Easy Street and knew who we were when it seemed that no one in the area had ever heard of us.

 

By the following year Howie had joined Big Cat Rescue (formerly WOES) as the Chairman of the Advisory Board. He has worked with Carole full time to build awareness of Big Cat Rescue and its mission and build a sound financial base from which to continue our work.

 

On Nov. 1, 2003 Howie proposed to Carole on Anna Maria Island at sunset and Carole was so overwhelmed that all she could do was write YES! in the sand. (You know how she cries all the time…) This was her dream come true and the man she had waited a life time to meet.

 

The Fur Ball was such a major production that they couldn’t bear the thought of immediately afterward having to organize the huge wedding that would have been required to include Howie’s many friends and Carole’s large extended family. They opted instead to have a private ceremony on the same beach where they had gotten engaged. So on Nov. 1, 2004 at sunset Howie and Carole were wed by Phi

The Sanctuary Is In The Black by Over $100k

Howie and I awoke and made love this morning.  He is so wonderful and has made my life so purrr-fect.  So much has happened that I just can’t document it all.  The sanctuary is in the black by over $100,000.00 and that has never happened!  It has never been in the black through summer before.  All of this is due to Howie and all of the insightful changes he has prompted.  This has lifted an enormous burden from my shoulders.

 

The reason I am writing today though is because of a conversation that we had a few days ago.  In June 2003 I had written up a trust agreement leaving the house to Howie and it was my intent that if anything happens to me the house would be paid off or he could choose the cash or other property instead.  He still hadn’t signed it a year and a half later and we were talking about situation when he said, “If anything ever happened to you I don’t know what I would do.  I don’t know if I could live in this house because everything about it reminds me of you.  I couldn’t change anything about it because it is so much of you.  I couldn’t sell it because it would be like selling a part of you… the memory of you.  I could give it to your daughter, I suppose, but I just don’t know if I could stand being here or not being here without you.”

 

He went on to say that the same was true of the sanctuary and he just didn’t know if he could stand to be surrounded by the memory of me or if he could stand not to.  I have never been so loved.

 

I decided to have a wedding quilt made.  He can wrap himself in it at night, or keep it in the closet if he can’t stand it when I am gone.  It is a quilt of the photos of him and me and the cats and the words and phrases of our lives:  Love, Honour, Cherish, Integrity…We will get married on it on the beach and have something to remember our early courting days in our old age.

 

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.

Meditation Brings Back a Flood of Memories

 

My fiancee, Howie Baskin and I were on a flight from our home in Tampa, Florida to Los Angeles, California and I was taking advantage of the rare opportunity to indulge in the pleasure of reading a book.  This one was called “Corporate Nirvana” by Judith Anderson.  We were somewhere over the desert and I was getting tired.  The author was detailing her intuitive encounter with a group of business people in which she suggested that they close their eyes and imagine that they were all alone, on a deserted island.  There was no work to do.  No deadlines.  No responsibilities.  No demand on their time.  There was only the island, the sand crunching between their toes and the birds over head.  Their attention was diverted to a beautifully ornate, bejeweled treasure chest in the sand.  As they approach they can see that it is unlocked and they know that inside is their gift.  This gift will be the answer to the question that is plaguing them now.  They will know when they see this gift exactly what it means to them and therein is their answer.

 

I haven’t meditated in the deep relaxed manner that I had been practicing in over a year.  I have been too busy.  Things have been going too well for me to value the need for it.  This seemed like a perfect opportunity to shut the book and try her visualization.  I asked myself, “Why am I always taking on tougher and tougher problems?  Why can’t I just say, “enough is enough” and be happy with what I’ve done?”  Holding that thought, in my sleepy half conscious state, I began the walk down the beach in the deserted island in my head.

 

Seagulls overhead, palm trees swaying in the tropic breeze, the warmth of the sun on my face and the sand crunching between my toes.  So far, so good.  Ah, there is the treasure chest…going over to admire it…it really is beautiful…I wonder what is inside, but I hesitate.  Do I want to know?  What if I don’t find an answer?  What if I do and don’t like it?  I stall and ponder the gravity of the moment.  In this box that I made up, in a place that I made up, lays the answer to the one problem that has driven me since childhood.  Here at 30,000 feet, while I look to all the world that I am asleep, I am about to discover the meaning of life…the meaning of my life anyway.

 

I begin to slowly lift the lid.  There is an aura of purple light escaping from the treasure chest.  “Nice special effects” I compliment to my imaginative self. “I wasn’t expecting that.”  I am opening the lid so slowly as if I am expecting some dragon to consume me with its fire breathing anger.  Come on Carole…open the box…its just a box…go on now open it!

 

Leaping backward from the box as the top swings open I can only see what looks like a purple, fuzzy blanket in the bottom of the box.  Tentatively, I lean forward thinking there must be something under the cloth.  It isn’t moving and there doesn’t appear to be any real shape to it.  I am disappointed with myself.

 

“That’s it!  That’s the best you could do?  You have the opportunity to solve all of your life’s struggles in one vision and all you can think of is a blanket!  I must be cold.  That must be what is behind this first thought and my REAL revelation must still be in the box.”  I try hard to see something else in the chest and after a while I resign myself to just being totally unimaginative.

 

OK then, let’s have a look at the fuzzy purple blanket and what ever that could possibly mean to me.  As I am muttering, “purple blanket” to myself I lift it up out of the dark box and hold it full length.  “Well, how about that?” I say to myself as the living material, with a light that gave it the fuzzy appearance, unfolds to the sand.  “It’s not a blanket at all.  It’s a cloak, shimmering with a life all its own.  It is breathtakingly beautiful!  It is too precious to wear.  No king ever wore a cape as magnificent as this!  I wonder briefly if I am worthy to wear this aura of lavende

Hurricane Frances 

was the sixth named storm, the fourth hurricane, and the third major hurricane of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season. The system crossed the open Atlantic during mid-to-late August, moving to the north of the Lesser Antilles while strengthening. Its outer bands affected Puerto Rico and the British Virgin Islands while passing north of the Caribbean sea. The storm's maximum sustained wind speeds peaked at 145 miles per hour, achieving Category 4 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. As the system slowed down its forward motion, the eye passed over San Salvador Island and very close to Cat Island in the Bahamas. Frances was the first hurricane to impact the entire Bahamian archipelago since 1866, and led to the nearly complete destruction of their agricultural economy.

 

Frances then passed over the central sections of the state of Florida in the U.S. only three weeks after Hurricane Charley, causing significant damage to the state's citrus crop, closing major airports, schools and canceling a collegiate football game. The storm then moved briefly offshore Florida into the northeast Gulf of Mexico and made a second U.S. landfall at the Florida Panhandle before accelerating northeast through the eastern United States near the Appalachians into Atlantic Canada while weakening. A significant tornado outbreak accompanied the storm across the eastern United States, nearly equaling the outbreak from Hurricane Beulah. Very heavy rains fell in association with this slow moving and relatively large hurricane, which led to floods in Florida and North Carolina. A total of 49 lives were lost from the cyclone. Damages totaled US$12 billion.

 

Hurricane Ivan 

was a large, long-lived, Cape Verde-type hurricane that caused widespread damage in the Caribbean and United States. The cyclone was the ninth named storm, the sixth hurricane and the fourth major hurricane of the active 2004 Atlantic hurricane season. Ivan formed in early September, had reached Category 5 strength on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, and became the 10th most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded. At its peak in the Gulf of Mexico, Ivan was the size of the state of Texas. It also spawned 120 tornadoes across the eastern United States.

 

Ivan caused catastrophic damage to Grenada as a strong Category 3 storm, heavy damage to Jamaica as a strong Category 4 storm and then Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands and the western tip of Cuba as a Category 5 storm. After peaking in strength, the hurricane moved north-northwest across the Gulf of Mexico to strike Florida as a strong Category 3 storm, causing significant damage. Ivan dropped heavy rains on the Southeastern United States as it progressed northeast and east through the eastern United States, becoming an extratropical cyclone. The remnant low from the storm moved into the western subtropical Atlantic and regenerated into a tropical cyclone, which then moved across Florida and the Gulf of Mexico into Louisiana and Texas, causing minimal damage.

 

Ivan caused an estimated US$18 billion in damages to the United States, making it the fifth costliest hurricane ever to strike the country.  We didn’t get hit too badly by this storm, but it has my nerves on edge that it is just one storm after another this year.

 

Hurricane Jeanne 

was the deadliest hurricane in the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the tenth named storm, the seventh hurricane, and the fifth major hurricane of the season, as well as the third hurricane and fourth named storm of the season to make landfall in Florida. After wreaking havoc on Hispaniola, Jeanne struggled to reorganize, eventually strengthening and performing a complete loop over the open Atlantic. It headed westwards, strengthening into a Category 2 hurricane and passing over the islands of Great Abaco and Grand Bahama in the Bahamas on September 25.

 

Jeanne made landfall later in the day in Florida just 2 miles from where Frances had struck 3 weeks earlier. Bu

Tribute to Maya Lioness

For several weeks in July and August, Maya had been in intensive care in the Big Cat Rescue Cat Hospital due to complications with her seizures. During that time she had several bad days that made us just about decide that euthanasia was the only humane thing to do, but about the time we would finally decide that she had been through enough, Maya would decide it wasn't time to go yet and would make another miraculous rebound. It has always been our policy to continue to provide whatever heroic efforts were called for as long as the cat seemed to be choosing life over death. Maya seemed to really have a strong will to live.

 

By August 16th her cage had been outfitted with an air conditioned den and as she was doing better, Maya was moved from the confines of the hospital back out to be in her own familiar grassy cage, next to her buddy Nikita. She was the picture of contentment and although she would occasionally step in her den to cool off she preferred to lounge in the shade. Her favorite pose was up against the cage wall with all four feet in the air.

 

On August 19 and August 22 most of the regular Big Cat Rescue staff were in Zolfo Springs helping the Peace River Refuge and Ranch recover from Hurricane Charley so only a skeletal staff was left behind. Maya seemed fine and was no longer on round-the-clock observance.

 

On Sunday the 22nd, Howard Baskin was giving a VIP tour when he discovered Maya breathing hard. He alerted the staff of her condition by cell phone. Within 5 minutes Carole arrived and began hosing Maya down to cool her off. Soon after, Scott Lope, Cathy Neumann, Kathryn Quaas, Becky Gagliardo and Dr. Liz Wynn raced onto the scene. Maya was carried back into the cat hospital where it was discovered that her temperature had spiked to 109 as the result of a severe seizure that must have ended shortly before Howard's tour arrived. Maya was given fluids and Dr. Stacie Wadsworth and Dr. Rose Borkowski were called for advice. This time Maya was not responding. Scott tried to call Carole to ask if Maya should be euthanized because this seizure had left her with no chance of ever enjoying a quality life. Before the call could be answered, Maya made the decision herself and breathed her last.

 

We are thankful that she got to spend her last couple of hours with the people that she loved most. We are grateful for the time she spent with all of us in teaching the lessons about accepting and making the most of the hand we are dealt. Maya touched so many hearts and inspired so many people. She will always be remembered as a brave little lion with heart of gold and an indomitable spirit. A special thank you to all of the generous supporters that have donated towards Maya's Medical Fund over the years. In her honor, Maya's Medical Fund will remain set up for other animals in need that find refuge at Big Cat Rescue.

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.

Hurricane Charley 

took out the Peace River Sanctuary owned by Lisa Stoner.  I took a crew down to put her perimeter fence back up so that no wild animals would escape the property.  There was an AZA supplier that also went by the name of Peace River, and many of their animals did escape into the country side.

 

I went there first, not knowing there were two facilities with the same name.  One a breeding compound and the other a good sanctuary.  I was really glad, after seeing all of the animals running wild at the first place, that I was at the wrong location.

 

It had always been our plan to load our cats onto semis and leave town if we were in the path of a hurricane, and I previously had the trucks, trailers and contacts to do it, but on this trip I saw semi trucks up in trees and know our cats are safer at the sanctuary than they would be on the road.  It was also the first real test of our cage structure.  Lisa Stoner had emulated our cage design and those were the only cages left standing after Hurricane Charley.

 

Hurricane Charley was the third named storm, the second hurricane, and the second major hurricane of the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season. Charley lasted from August 9 to August 15, and at its peak intensity it attained 150 mph winds, making it a strong Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. It made landfall in southwestern Florida at maximum strength, making it the strongest hurricane to hit the United States since Hurricane Andrew struck Florida in 1992.

 

After moving slowly through the Caribbean Sea, Charley crossed Cuba on Friday, August 13 as a Category 3 hurricane, causing heavy damage and four deaths. That same day, it crossed over the Dry Tortugas, just 22 hours after Tropical Storm Bonnie had struck northwestern Florida. It was the first time in history that two tropical cyclones struck the same state in a 24-hour period.  At its peak intensity of 150 mph, Hurricane Charley struck Captiva Island, causing severe damage.

 

Charley, the strongest hurricane to hit southwest Florida since Hurricane Donna in 1960, then continued to produce severe damage as it made landfall on the peninsula near Port Charlotte. It continued to the north-northeast along the Peace River corridor, devastating Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, Cleveland, Fort Ogden, Nocatee, Arcadia, Zolfo Springs, Sebring, and Wauchula. Zolfo Springs was isolated for nearly two days as masses of large trees, power poles, power lines, transformers, and debris filled the streets. Wauchula sustained gusts to 147 mph; buildings in the downtown areas caved onto Main Street. Ultimately, the storm passed through the central and eastern parts of the Orlando metropolitan area, still carrying winds gusting up to 106 mph.

 

The city of Winter Park, north of Orlando, also sustained considerable damage since its many old, large oak trees had not experienced high winds. Falling trees tore down power utilities and smashed cars, and their huge roots lifted underground water and sewer utilities. The storm slowed as it exited the state over New Smyrna Beach and Ponce Inlet, just south of Daytona Beach. The storm was ultimately absorbed by a front in the Atlantic Ocean shortly after sunrise on August 15, near southeastern Massachusetts.

 

Damage in the state totaled to over $13 billion. Charley initially was expected to hit further north in Tampa, and caught many Floridians off-guard due to a sudden change in the storm's track as it approached the state. Throughout the United States, Charley caused 10 deaths and $15.4 billion in damage, making it the second costliest hurricane in United States history at the time.

 

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 s

Persistence

”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

 

A few nights ago we were making love (Howie and I, not Coolidge) and I exclaimed, “No one has EVER been so good to me!”  Without even missing a beat, Howie replied, “Nor to anyone else.”  I believe that.  I cannot image any person ever being more loved and cared for than the way Howie treats me.  I always thought of myself as being the most loving in relationships, but my expression of love pales by comparison.

 

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.

I resigned as the acting President of The Association of Sanctuaries 

today and wrote the following letter. What is funny is that I let Howie edit it and sent his version which is below mine.

 

Dear Board,  I have always held TAOS in the highest esteem and even though I did not wish to serve on the board or be an officer I agreed when Barbara had been abandoned by the rest of the board and had the weight of the conference on her shoulders.  I stepped in to help and learned a lot about why the membership does not support TAOS events or TAOS initiatives.

 

As a member, I saw TAOS as a service provider and was happy to serve the rest of the membership by contributing in ways that I felt would enable all of us to share and have better sanctuaries.  In speaking with the membership these past several days I am impressed with what a wonderful group of people we have who are doing good work and who all voice the same desire:  That we focus on what we have in common and build on that.  I share that sentiment.

 

Those of us on the board have had several conversations about why the membership is not supportive, why there is so much back biting and why the members don’t support the conference or dues increases or any of the financial needs of TAOS.  We could have asked each other that question for ever and never gotten an answer, but when we ask the membership they are answering in unison:  The leadership of TAOS is not their choosing and they feel that they don’t get any benefit from submitting themselves to a governing body that is unrecognized for all practical purposes.

 

We promote TAOS as setting members apart from pseudo sanctuaries but it doesn’t because TAOS is still virtually unknown.  AZA is so much bigger and stronger than TAOS and it faces the same lack of recognition in the general public that causes zoos to wonder why they would submit themselves to all of the politics and onerous paperwork to be a part of something that does not help them.  Any of us who write grants to support our work know that including the fact we are accredited by TAOS doesn’t have any bearing on our ability to secure the funding.

 

The only reason I have tried to keep TAOS afloat is because of its participation in the Captive Wild Animal Protection Coalition, but TAOS cannot afford to even pay its dues there and given the current draft of the standards it is unlikely that they will ever be adopted widely.  I have submitted a considerable body of work only to have it come back to me with revisions that make it impossible for all but 4 or 5 sanctuaries to meet them.  Those sanctuaries can only meet the standards suggested because they are not governed by USDA.  I believe in the concept of standard sanctuary standards but if those standards would require funding that most major zoos couldn’t afford then the only purpose of them will be to eliminate sanctuaries; the good and the bad.  There isn’t a zoo or game farm in the country that meets these high standards, but these standards won’t apply to them.  They only apply to those of us who are left to deal with their carnage.

 

TAOS appears to have lost its founding mothers and has had a recent history of high turnover in its leadership.  To dismiss our Executive Director with no viable plan or person to replace her just smacks of incompetence.  The timing and lack of preparedness for the transfer of documents, credit cards, email accounts and such just further illustrates the emotional imbalance of the remaining board members.  TAOS’ only national acclaim to fame is that it accredits sanctuaries who are not inspected by state or federal agencies and some of those are under fire with allegations of breeding, escapes and substandard conditions.  At a very minimum TAOS should require USDA licensure so that we don’t have to take that sort of heat.

 

There is a huge disparity between what the membership thinks TAOS should be and what the board of TAOS believes it is.  I am told by the board that th