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Cat fight: A battle over the future of exotic felines
New legislation may change the rules for owners of lions, tigers and other big cats.
by Kevin Tall | September 27, 2012
Big Cat Rescue, the Tampa sanctuary for lions, tigers and other exotic felines, has a simple mission: to one day go out of business.
“Our goal is not to have to rescue animals,” says BCR’s Jeff Kremer. “The goal is to keep the animals out of entertainment and out of the exotic pet trade.”
House Resolution 4122, or The Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act, may help Kremer and BCR realize that dream. There’s support for the measure from Senator John Kerry and FL U.S. Representatives Kathy Castor and Gus Bilirakis, as well as from movie stars like Leonardo DiCaprio. The bill, if passed, would protect exotic cats from the risks of private ownership, illustrated by the slaughter last year of 49 animals in Zanesville, Ohio.
But there’s another camp in the debate. Private breeders worry that the new law would not only pose a threat to their pocketbooks, but to the future of the 39 species of exotic cats. The cat fight has begun.
More than 100 exotic cats live in Big Cat Rescue’s 55-acre compound in Citrus Park, which has provided sanctuary to hundreds of animals since opening 20 years ago.
Reno, a golden leopard, is a retiree from the circus. Nikita the lioness was found during a drug bust in Tennessee, chained to the wall of a crack house. A tiger named Arthur, with brother Andre and sister Amanda, was brought to BCR after his previous home, Wild Animal Orphanage in San Antonio, Texas, closed in 2010.
Then there’s Sasha. A beautiful lioness, she lived the first part of her life chained to a concrete slab in Gambler, Ohio at the International Siberian Tiger Foundation — aka the backyard of a woman named Diana McCourt. She’d had Sasha declawed and defanged to make her easier to manage when folks came to take her picture. When Sasha was finally rescued, her leather collar had grown into the skin of her neck.
Sasha is one of three BCR residents to have been stripped of their natural defenses. Kremer encourages photographers to remove their equipment from tripods when they take her photo; while the exact history is unknown, she and some of the other felines at BCR have developed a fear of anything remotely club-like.
Kremer, who is director of donor appreciation for the non-profit, feels that the biggest threat to captive exotic cats in Florida and across the country is what he calls “pay-to-play” — attractions that exploit animals for entertainment.
“Right now you can go 30 minutes from [Big Cat Rescue] and you can swim with tiger cubs, for $200, in a pool,” Kremer says. “And the media loves it because it’s great eye candy.”
Media General has run multiple stories on the attraction, Dade City’s Wild Things, including one in August, 2011, and two this year on News Channel 8 and TBO.com.
“I think what’s empowering is that all these issues facing these cats are solvable,” Kremer says. “I don’t have to do anything to solve the problems; I have to just not do some things. I have to not go to the circus or not go to the local place where they’re charging $200 to swim with tiger cubs.”
Aligned with BCR in the fight against private ownership and display are organizations like the Humane Society of the United States, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), World Wildlife Fund and Born Free USA. Legislative supporters include U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis of Tarpon Springs.
“The education Big Cat Rescue provides to adults and kids alike is both informative and interesting, and it is a true treasure for Tampa Bay,” Bilirakis said. “Unfortunately, it is also a necessary role, as there are many people out there who do not treat their animals humanely or in a manner that is safe for others.”
The disaster in Zanesville, Ohio was a case in point. On Oct. 18, 2011, Terry Thompson, the owner of more than 50 exotic animals — among them lions, tigers, bears, leopards, wolves and various primates — released them from their cages before committing suicide. In the ensuing chaos, officials were forced to kill 18 Bengal tigers, 17 lions, six black bears, three cougars, two grizzly bears, two wolves and a baboon.
“It’s like Noah’s Ark wrecking right here in Zanesville, Ohio,” celebrity animal man Jack Hanna said at a press conference the next morning.
Hanna is also director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo, where six surviving animals — three leopards, two primates and a bear — were housed in the wake of the Zanesville massacre. Five of the animals were recently returned to Thompson’s widow, Marian; the zoo had to euthanize one of the leopards.
The Zanesville incident brought increased attention to big cat ownership and led to support for H.R. 4122, drawing comment from celebrity animal rights activists like DiCaprio.
“Tigers, lions and cougars are kept as pets in the U.S. in alarming numbers,” said the actor via his Facebook page, “often leading to mistreatment and cruelty towards the animals themselves, but also diminishing big cat conservation around the world. Let’s prevent another Zanesville, Ohio tragic incident from happening again and take action to ban private ownership of big cats in the US.”
Leo’s post featured a link to the IFAW website, where users could send an email to their local congressperson voicing their support for H.R. 4122.
Sen. John Kerry introduced the companion bill, Senate 3547, on Sept. 13; it has been assigned to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
“This bill will ensure that these endangered creatures are kept in secure, professional facilities like wildlife sanctuaries,” Kerry said, “rather than in small cages in someone’s backyard or apartment building.”
Kremer says that the issue comes down to one common denominator: in American society, these cats are considered just another thing to be owned. Seemingly lost in the battle over private ownership is the public safety concern posed when a wild animal is kept in captivity in a populated area.
In May, a cougar escaped its backyard enclosure in Hernando County, as reported by Tampa Bay’s CBS affiliate, WTSP-Channel 10. While out, Charlie, the mountain lion, killed a neighbor’s pet beagle. Mickey Milano, owner of the dog, wonders what might happen to her granddaughter if this was the fate of her dog.
“This black leopard, Sabre, in front of us, that’s not property,” Kremer says, referring to a cat in residence at BCR. “That’s a living, sentient being that should be afforded protection and a certain standard level of care. And it’s a dangerous animal; it’s a carnivore. Leopards can lift two to three times their body weight into trees… That leopard could lift two of me, so why do we consider it, in our society, acceptable to keep something like that in somebody’s house or backyard as a pet?”
Big Cat Rescue is not without its detractors. A 2011 Bay News 9 story called into question the origin of many of the cats they claim to have rescued. Scour the Web enough and you’ll find blogs dedicated to anti-BCR sentiment, calling it a “scam-tuary.”
Opponents use Big Cat Rescue founder Carole Baskin’s beginnings as an exotic cat breeder to fan the flames. The facility’s own website describes its “evolution” from rescuing bobcats by buying them from fur farms to a sanctuary that preaches against buying, selling, trading or breeding.
Lynn Culver, Arkansas-based executive director of the Feline Conservation Federation (FCF), is philosophically opposed both to BCR and to the proposed legislation, which she calls a “manage-to-extinction plan.” She regards Baskin as “the face of ‘No one should have cats.’”
“I really don’t respect her as a person,” she says of Baskin. Camp BCR returns the compliment. “Lynn Culver breeds and sells exotic cats as pets and sees Carole Baskin as the leading threat to her continued business in that trade.”
Reflecting on Zanesville, Culver points out that she and other FCF members were concerned for the welfare of the animals and contacted Ohio sanctuaries within three weeks of Thompson’s incarceration on federal weapons charges, nearly a full year before the calamitous events unfolded. She says the people taking care of the property threatened trespassing charges against sanctuary workers attempting to feed the animals.
“Needless to say he came out of [a year of incarceration] more deranged than he went in. And it wasn’t that the animals were dangerous, it was that the man was dangerous,” Culver said of Terry Thompson.
“Unfortunately, there’s just a trend. Every time there’s a bad owner, who illustrates that there needs to be regulation, there needs to be rules, it doesn’t seem to result in that. It seems to result in taking everybody’s freedoms away,” Culver says.
Her beef with the potential law is that it calls for prohibition instead of regulation and that the Association of Zoos and Aquariums has a monopoly on the breeding exemptions. Culver calls the AZA “a communistic dictatorship” in which member zoos give up individual rights and freedoms, standing to lose perhaps their best stock to a larger zoo. Culver says many smaller zoos would not choose to be AZA members because the exorbitant dues are not worth the risk of having a rare animal poached by Big Brother. Creative Loafing’s requests for comment from AZA were not returned.
“Who is sponsoring this bill?” Culver asks rhetorically. “AZA is not the special interest group. It’s the sanctuary community… and they haven’t a clue about the conservation. It’s not even the WWF; it’s the Carole Baskins and Tippi Hedrens of the world. And they are not qualified to propose legislation that would have this kind of devastating effect on captive conservation.”
The FCF believes in the need for a captive gene pool of exotic cats in order to aid in conservation. The mission of the 501 (c) 3 non-profit, according to Culver, is “preserve, protect and propagate.”
“We preserve them in captivity through captive husbandry,” she explains. “We protect them in the wild; we have a conservation grants program. We support researchers and conservation efforts that directly benefit the cats in the wild. And propagate. Certainly we have captive breeding programs.”
If people truly cared about species survival, Culver goes on, "We would have breeding centers that would be largely closed to the public, and then we would have chosen offspring that would be displayed at zoos and the zoos wouldn’t be asked to do both missions.”
As a believer in private ownership and private sector husbandry, Culver also operates a breeding facility, N.O.A.H. Feline Conservation Center, which offers African servals and caracals, southern bobcats, South American Geoffroy cats and Canadian lynx. According to noahfcc.com, they sell “hand-reared offspring to facilities that will enhance the species’ survival or to knowledgeable individuals who will increase the public’s appreciation of these intelligent and loving creatures.” Kittens are currently available.
Culver also has a very personal interest in trying to prevent this legislation from passing; she owns 45 exotic cats, including cougars, servals and caracals. She places the first time she held a big cat — a jaguar in 1985 — above the three-week Hawaiian vacation from which she’d recently returned. It’s a joy she feels the American citizen should be allowed to have.
“It was like, ‘My God, the world is so beautiful.’ Never in my life did I think I would be looking into the soft eyes of this creature from the rain forest,” Culver says.
“When these exhibitors give the general public an opportunity to actually touch a cougar for a fleeting moment, then go back to their cubicle or their jobs or their kids or school, all the crap in their life… for that one moment, they came face to face with a piece of nature that they’ll never see again.”
FCF member Kathy Stearns owns Dade City’s Wild Things, where, in addition to sharing a pool with tiger cubs, guests can also swim with a baby alligator or, if they don’t feel like busting out the big bucks and the bathing suit, schedule private encounters with a tiger cub, monkey, zebra foal, or gator hatchling. Feeding buffalo, monkeys and bears is also on the menu.
Stearns explains that animal encounters are an extension of the zoo’s mission to educate the public.
“I didn’t want it just to be ‘Take a picture and walk away.’ I wanted it to be more educational, more involved,” she says.
She is happy to report that she’s had no issues at her facility other than one complaint of a monkey bite.
Wild Things is on the same spacious plot of land as Stearns’ home. In fact, the swimming pool in her backyard is where the tiger cub swims were first held. Wild Things recently added a fenced enclosure with a smaller, more manageable wading pool. She says she plans to add a zipline attraction to go over a tiger enclosure.
Stearns is currently serving as a mentor to Steve Sipek, a former actor who played Tarzan in a couple of foreign films in the ’70s (under the name Steve Hawkes). He was arrested in February for keeping three big cats — two tigers and a leopard — without a USDA permit. Sipek, a Loxahatchee, Fla. resident, might best be known for a 2004 incident involving one of his tigers, Bobo, who escaped and was fatally shot by Florida Fish and Wildlife.
“We’re getting his permits back. We set up a non-profit for him,” Stearns said. “I’m not part of their sanctuary, I’m just going to be a mentor to keep them legal.”
Stearns breeds tigers for her zoo onsite, and falls in line with other breeder/owners who would be affected by the proposed bill.
“What ban in the United States ever passed that was successful?” Stearns asks. “What it does is create a black market and makes criminals rich.”
Both sides feel the key to victory is arming the public with greater knowledge.
“The planet, as we all know, is under attack,” says Culver, “and species are facing extinction. Probably the greatest thing we can do is educate. We believe that one of the most effective tools for conservation education is the ambassador wildlife animal, in our case, the feline.
“We need quality breeding, we need knowledgeable people, we need real conservation and we need cooperation."
BCR’s Kremer, on the other hand, says that the public needs to be alerted to the potential dangers — both to animals and to people — of the “pay-to-play” model.
“Most people are generally surprised that there’s a consequence; when you educate them and say, ‘Listen, there’s a consequence associated with those actions,’ they are pretty open-minded and actually want to learn more,” he says.
“When you teach, especially youth, to have some respect for animals, generally those kids grow up to be adults who aren’t just respectful toward animals but all living creatures.”
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Comments (61)
Hello,
Just saw the Studio 10 feature and came here to the website. Fascinating article, thank you.
Please reiterate what the public can do to support the bill.
Thank you.
Janine
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I've visited Dade City's Wild Things and it literally brought me to tears. How anyone can see the animals there in these small cages, harkening back to the old days of barren zoos, and defend what they're doing is just beyond me. The tour was obviously just a lead-in to get me to pay to play with a baby white tiger cub. These cubs only have a short "shelf life." Then, what happens to them? My few minutes of playtime would result in 20+ years of that tiger penned in a small cage. No - not for me! Luckily, I know the difference between REAL conservation and just a profit-driven business using wild animals as a commodity. I understand that the author wanted to show both sides. I only hope that the public checks out the likes of Steve Sipek and the others who breed for profit, at the expense of our wildlife.
I would support any bill opposing exploiting these creatures in these ways
What happens to the tiger cubs when they become too big to swim with? Are they breeds of serious interest in tiger conservation?
To support the bill please go to BigCatLaws dot c o m
It is important to note that more of these great cats have disappeared from the wild during the past 100 years when it was common to breed them as back yard pets and props. The cats are in serious danger of extinction and we can't save them in the wild as long as the captive trade in them provides a smokescreen for illegal activities like poaching and trading in their parts.
Breeding exotic cats to just live in cages is abhorrent! These precious felines are not meant to be tamed or domesticated !
I hope Dade City's Wild Things is not breeding white tigers, as they are not a natural species. So why would they need conserving?
No one should be allowed to keep these animals in cages, or breed cubs for the purpose of having the public "play" with them. That is simply abhorrent. These people aren't breeding for the good of the species, they're breeding for their own profit. For shame.
Do not be fooled by breeders who claim to be engaged in conservation. Talk to a scientist. Animals bred for life in cages (or worse) cannot ever be introduced into the wild, and the breeders are not protecting genetic diversity. On the contrary, they are more often severely inbreeding the animals for unnatural characteristics like whiteness, which produces unhealthy animals with a host of congenital problems, from vision impairment to organ damage to severe deformities. Breeding animals solely to exploit them for profit and cast them off when they are no longer lucrative is cruel and obscene, and we should not tolerate it in a civilized society.
Here's what Ms. Culver says:
"We would have breeding centers that would be largely closed to the public, and then we would have chosen offspring that would be displayed at zoos and the zoos wouldn’t be asked to do both missions.”
This sounds terrible--what happens to the animals that aren't selected for display? And abuses would be rife in breeding centers that are closed to the public.
Culver, honestly, sounds like a nut. And lions and tigers are not cats, so she's is dishonest when she says that Baskin doesn't want anyone to have a cat.
I would support any bill opposing the breeding and keeping of wild cats, too. They deserve better than to be confined to cages for the rest of their lives, regardless of the size of the cage, even at the risk of the species becoming extinct. No wild animal would ever have a truly 'wild' life, if it was locked behind fencing.
We should concentrate on protecting the habitat in the wild for animals where they breed naturally not breeding facilities that are obviously out for the money. While I would love nothing better than to touch a big cat I don't think they should have to give up their freedom for it. Carole Baskins has the right idea. I would support any bill that led to the care and protection of wild animals. People against this bill must not be able to value life.
How does Dade City keep a continuous supply of baby animals? With big cats, the babies are taken away from their mothers shortly after birth and hand raised so they can be handled. Also, this allows the mothers to be bred again sooner. Big cat females are being bred to death in this way. What happens to the little babies when they grow up? Can Wild Things provide tracking to whom they have sold their grown up babies? They cannot possibly be keeping them all. NO ONE has the right to own a big cat. I fully support HR4122.
I think this is great...they already do this with Cheetah's ...another example of breeding in captivity ...Falcon's...they were almost extinct in this Country...OUR Government turned to Private Owners/Falconer's...They donated there Chicks to repopulate...So if your seeing Those in the wild Thank A Private/Falconer For breeding in captivity and saving a species..The Wild is Disappearing! I would rather see a Beautiful Big Cat well cared for then Slaughtered in the Wild
I had the great pleasure when I was in High School to be in a program that allowed me to work at a zoo. It was a wonderful & very educational experience. It remains some of my best memories. At that time, more & more zoos, private owners, etc started gearing to have a future for so many very rare or endangered animals. This was in the 1970's & zoos were starting to work harder to improve the quality of life for the animals, to give them more natural surroundings, & to map out the genetic pool available. The goal was to ensure safe breeding practices & not to inbreed. They had a Siberian Tiger, Lee, who was crossed eye. He bred once with the hopes this trait didn't pass on. However, as the 2 cubs grew, it was apperant that when they got excited, their eyes would cross. Therefore, Lee, Nicholas, & Alexander were removed from the breeding pool & were cared for & loved for their lives.
Private ownership/ breeding has already saved several rare or endangered species. Zoos do not have the room to hold enough cats to allow a diverse gene pool. Most owners are good owners who have the health & well being of their animals in mind. They want to help save exotic animals of many types. The wild is being destroyed. There is no true safe wild places any more. India's Tiger Preserves keep loosing their tigers to poachers as well as the Siberian Tiger. Lions are poached as well as Leopards. All exotic cats are threatened by poaching & loss of habitat. Until we destroy farms, villages, cities, super fast highways, all wildlife is endangered. Since that isn't going to happen, the best thing to protect these cats is private ownership & co-operative breeding programs.
Yes, cubs are usually removed from their mother after birth not to put the female into estrus but by hand raising, training, teaching these cubs allows them to be monitored for any health conditions faster & makes it easier for vets, keepers, & the animals to be treated. This is done with the safety of all in mind.
What BCR doesn't say is she created her own "group" whose sole mission is to make it so only she can have exotic cats. She also doesn't mention how she has cabins on her property that people were able to spend a great deal of money to be able to sleep with an exotic cat. Several people were injured. She also doesn't mention that her "enrichment" program is to throw live, domesticated rabbits into the cats' cages so the cats can play & slowly maul them to death.
Enrichment programs where the cats are taught various "tricks", interactions with humans, helps keep them stimulated, mentally & physically. The cats enjoy these interactions. Precautions are in place. Please fight this bill. By fighting it, you will be fighting for the survival of these glorious, wonderful, beautiful cats.
I fully support HR 4122! Culver and Stearns both are talking out their butts trying to mislead the public! They act like they are trying to save big cats by breeding them and letting people swim and get photos holding them??!!! That is NOT conservation!!! It is nothing but pure greed!!! Wild animals do not swim with humans or pose for pics!! They live life in the jungle or the plains!!! Don't let those two women or anyone else who breeds big cats...or ANY cat for that matter fool you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I support this bill. It's not only for the safety of people, it also protects all those animals living in horrible conditions in back yards, garages, even vans! I don't think anyone knows for sure how many exotic animals people really own in the United States. By accepting this bill we could control the illegal trade more effectively and also make sure people who are not capable of handling these animals wouldn't get them. Thank you.
So much is said, based on so little information. The truth is that BOTH sides of this debate have some very good points.
TRUTH: Private breeders and owners are needed to keep a diverse gene pool. This doesn't mean however that ALL the animals in private hands are suitable genetically. IF that is in fact the purpose then very accurate records should be kept on the animals.
TRUTH: The animal rights organizations, including BCR, have a mission that reaches much further than "exotic animals in captivity". This is just a starting point. You see their mission is to "abolish ALL human dominion over the animals". The key word here is ALL.
TRUTH: There are BAD "private owners" and bad "zoos" and bad "sanctuaries". Why can't we deal with those individual places, instead of punishing everyone! So many things are taken away from the masses because of a few irresponsible people, this needs to stop and people need to be held accountable for their OWN actions.
You supporters of these bills restricting our rights by the government are only putting nails in the proverbial coffin. I hope each and every one of you are also against the ownership of companion animals, because they are also on the list of the animal rights organizations. You see dogs as we know them now are a creation of man, therefor an abomination that should not exist. Understand, the ONLY true dog is the wolf and all the other breeds came from the wolf and WERE CREATED BY MAN! FACT!!
You are saying, "that will NEVER happen". You are WRONG it is already happening with breed specific bans. It is a very slippery slope folks and you best be very careful what you turn over to the government to control, you see there are VERY bad parents too!
By the way the Leopard at the zoo from the Zainesville incident was not euthanized due to its health, the zoo shut the sliding door on it, BREAKING ITS NECK! Looks to me like he would still be alive if he had been left where he was!
I do not support big cat ban laws. There are people that take good care of there animals. Not all "owners" (big cats own you ) are bad
@Debra
The leopard would have been if it was left where it was? It was one of the few that managed to avoid being killed outright by law enforcement. Where it WAS meant out among the public. Being released wasn't exactly its choice. Unless you're one of those nutters that say extremists murdered Thompson and set his animals free to further the prohibition agenda. THAT'S an entirely different can of cat food...
I would love to know how Carole Baskin gets her name in so many news stories about things like this. Lets get her name out there for what she really does, Frauds the public by telling lies that her animals are rescued when most were bought and use to be her pets. Now she lies to the public to get them to support her hobby. But most of all why does she kill so many cats if she is the expert about this. Here is just a list of the dead ones I know of. Acacia Sandcat
Ace Bobcat
Adonnis Leopard
Agave Sandcat
Alpha Serval
Anastasia Siberian Lynx
Aquarius Fishing Cat
Argentina Cavy
Auroara Tigress
Axel Tiger
Bagheera Leopard
Black Mamba Jaguar
Bobby Blue Rose Bobcat
Boris Pallas Cat
Buffy Tiger
Cachanga Caracal
Cachinga Caracal
Callie Cougar
Candy Caracal
Casper Cougar
Catera Bobcat
Catrina Cougar
Cha Cha Jungle Cat
Champlaine Lynx
Cheyenne Serval
Cleo-Cat-Tra Cougar
CleoCatTra Bobcat
Cloe Snow Leopard
Cloud Dancin' Bobcat
Conan Tiger
Cookie Tigress
Crackle Caracal
Crazy Horse Bobcat
Crystal Jungle Cat
Czar Bobcat
Daisy Serval
Dances with Wolves Canada Lynx
Despurrado Bobcat
Elsa Bobcat
Esmerelda Serval
Fleetwood Cougar
Freckles Liger
Freddy Cougar
Gator Serval
Glory Glory Cougar
Hallelujah Cougar
Hercules Snow Leopard
Hunter Caracal
Huntress Caracal
India Tigress
Indian Summer Bobcat
Jefferson Civet
Kahlua Margay
Katmandu Siberian Lynx
Kennedy Bobcat
Kimba Caracal
King Tiger
Kongo White Serval
Lakota Bobcat
Lola Leopard
Lucky Serval
Maharajah Sand Cat
Malachi Clouded Leopard
Marco Geoffroy Cat
Mau Tse Chow
Maverick Siberian Lynx
Maya Lioness
Midnight Bobcat
Missouri Cougar
Modnic Tigress
Mongo Serval
Morgan Puma
Nakita Bobcat
Nala Tigress
Narak Tiger
Nini Tigress
Ninja Bobcat
Oakey Ocelot
Panama Jack Ocelot
Pappa Bear Coatimundi
Peaches Serval
Pisces Fishing Cat
Princess Tiger
PurrSistance Ocelot
Rain Bobcat
Rocky Bobcat
Rufus Bobcat
Rupa Caracal
Saber Tiger
Samantha Ocelot
Sarabi Lioness
Saratoga Geoffroy Cat
Saskwatch Canada Lynx
Scratch Cougar
Selena Bobcat
Shadow Cougar
Shanda Bobcat
Shanghai Leopard Cat
Shaquille Leopard
Shasta Serval
Shatia Canada Lynx
Sheera Bobcat
Shiloh Bobcat
Sierra Caracal
Simba Tiger
Skip Bobcat
Snorkel Tiger
Sophia Cougar
Squeaker Cougar
Stalker Siberian Lynx
Stetson Civet
Storm Bobcat
Sugar Cougar
Sultan Ocelot
Sundance Bobcat
Sylvester Cougar
Tabitha Ocelot
Takoma Bobcat
Tarzan Jungle Cat
Thunder Jungle Cat
Trucha Tigress
Two Toes Bobcat
Venus Leopard
Windsong Bobcat
Zander Bengal Cat
Zazu Leopard Cat
Zoe Snow Leopard
Zoul Serval
Zza Zza Ocelot
Pretty sad that news reporters don't pick up on this or what her real motive is. To run everyone out of business so she has no competition with her and her friend Tippi. But lets not all forget to ask her why does she scream so loud about a horse being killed in Oklahoma but keeps her mouth shut about horses and other animals being slaughtered behind her fence at BCR? Carole were you a part of this and is this where you got your meat?
Lets be clear about Big Cat Rescue's 'evolution'. They did not go from rescuing bobcats to becoming a sanctuary.
The bobcats bought from fur farms were sold as pets. Those that weren't sold were then bred and their kittens sold as pets. Windsong, Raindance, Little Feather....their kittens were all sold through the Animal Finder's guide, and they continued to breed exotic cats at Big Cat Rescue until 2001, all the while calling themselves a sanctuary and taking donations from duped animal lovers for their "rescues".
Baskin sold her book, "Exotic Cats as Housepets" along with the cubs. She had her cubs declawed and customers paid to sleep with them in the Big Cat Rescue guest cabins. When that wasn't successful, they "evolved" by converting their private collection of exotic cats to "rescues" and marketing Big Cat Rescue as an "educational sanctuary". They then jumped on the "ban big cats" bandwagon as "experts" so that no one else could ever own or exhibit exotic cats.
Yes, the breeding has stopped, but this is still a roadside zoo, not a true sanctuary. With over 25,000 visitors a year these animals are exhibited day and night, raking in millions for animals that were bought, bred, traded, declawed, "exploited", and lied about for 20 years.
The staff at Big Cat Rescue are experts at deception. For example; tour guides told us that Jumanji, a black leopard, is a former pet, a "victim of the pet trade" who was forced to walk on a leash. What they do not tell you is that Jumanji was Baskin's daughter's personal pet who she herself leash trained. Jumanji was permanently caged after an attack that left a woman with over 400 stitches in her arm. Big Cat Rescue recently accepted a $20,000 donation for lifetime care of Jumanji....this "victim of the pet trade" billed as a rescue. Big Cat Rescue has been forced to reveal bits and pieces of their past since the Bay News 9 expose' and more recently a piece by WTSP's Mike Deeson, but the fraud and deception continues.
Support legislation that you truly believe in, but please stop glorifying Carole Baskin and the deceit and fraud at Big Cat Rescue. Dig for the truth. You will find it along with accusations of forgery, perjury....even possible murder. It is all available on the internet, buried under thousands of self-serving posts by the CEO of Big Cat Rescue.
For information about poster Joe Schreibvogel and his mistreatment and exploitation of tiger cubs visit tigercubabuse dot c o m
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