Halloween Pumpkin Enrichment

  Halloween is near and that means it’s pumpkin time for the big cats! Each year the residents of the sanctuary receive a very special halloween treat - their very own pumpkin to carve how they please! The cats love chomping, clawing, and pouncing on the rolley orange gourds and seem to be attracted to their smell like a domestic cat is to catnip.You can see for yourself how much the cats love pumpkins by reserving your “spot” on one of the Keeper Tours scheduled in October. In addition to seeing pumpkin enrichment, you will also get to make enrichment toys for the cats and watch as the keepers hand out your toy to the cats as well as observe training sessions. To read more about the Keeper Tour and for reservations https://bigcatrescue.org/visit-the-cats/keeper-tour For safety and quality reasons we do not accept donations of pumpkins from individuals. However, if you would like to sponsor a pumpkin to be given to one of the cats click here https://www.razoo.com/story/Pumpkins We will use your donation to purchase a pumpkin for one of our wild friends! 

Tee Up for Tigers

 Date: This Saturday, October 6th, 2012Place: Seminole Lake Country Club 6100 Augusta Boulevard Seminole, FL. 33777Format: Four Player Team Scramble. Teams may be comprised of all men, all women or a combination of bothItinerary: 1:00 Shotgun Start till 6:00 Awards Banquet & Special Events to Include a Silent Auction and RaffleEntry Fee: $100.00 Per Person Includes Golf Fees ~ Range Balls ~ Goody Bag ~ Awards Banquet ~ Prize Purse ~ On Course PrizesFor additional information: Karen Jay 727-391-3318 kjay@seminolelake.net  

Big Cat Rescue Resurrects the Haunted Trail

 Come for Growl-oween at Big Cat Rescue’s Haunted Trail! Join us after dark for a spooky night tour—it starts off like a regular tour, but beware! Who knows where you will end up. You may become prey for our nocturnal hunters. This is a one and a half hour-long guided tour of the sanctuary—the last half hour takes you through the Scare Zones on the Haunted Trail. Reservations and prepayment required —space is limited! Friday October 26 start times vary, call for details. $55 per person. Ages 10 and older only. No costumes allowed. Contact Info@BigCatRescue.org & nbsp;

October Keeper Tours Include Pumpkins for the Cats

 We receive many requests from guests to see the pumpkins being handed out. We will be handing out one large pumpkin to a Lion, Tiger or Leopard and a variety of small pumpkins and gourds (that can fit through 4x4 wire) on every Keeper Tour in October. These are by reservation only, so callChelsea at (813)426-5 948 or contact Info@BigCatRescue.org Saturday, Oct 6th 2pm-4pm Sunday, Oct 7th 2pm-4pm Saturday, Oct 13th 2pm-4pm Sunday, Oct 14th 10am-12pm Saturday, Oct 20th 2pm-4pm Sunday, Oct 21st 10am-12pm Saturday, Oct 27th 2pm-4pm and Sunday, Oct 28th 10am-12pm  

Bobcats Get Purr-tection in California

 I am so excited to share with you the fact that your calls and letters worked! California bill SB 1221, the bill by Sen. Ted Lieu to ban the cruel hounding of bears and bobcats in California, was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown last week. I cannot even begin to express how happy I am that this battle for California wildlife has been won. Thanks to those of you who helped, California is the 15th state to prohibit the hounding of bears and the 14th state to ban the hounding of bobcats. This important bill will go into effect on January 1, 2013. The cruel practice of hound hunting will soon be a thing of the past for California dogs and wildlife.  

Nakita Enclosure Grand Opening

 Big Cat Rescuers along with the top donors who contributed towards the enclosure expansion for Nakita the lioness watched in awe as the goofy gal galloped and pranced about in her new space. Early in the morning last week the modest crowd gathered around to witness Nakita gain access to her 3,500 square foot enclosure addition. She enthusiastically awaited the opening of the door and did not hesitate for a moment before exploding into her the new area. She patrolled the perimeter, checked out the shrubs and trees, batted around her large yellow ball and sneak attacked a life-size cardboard warthog the Enrichment Committee made. Nakita gave a roaring paw of approval! We would like to thank the many generous individuals whom made this project possible. Thanks to you, Nakita is one very happy lioness!  

Big Cat Rescue Blindsided

 https://youtu.be/mFDH48cRxFY Actor Quinton Aaron, most famously known for his lead role in the movie The Blind Side along with Sandra Bullock, recently visited the sanctuary. Having played the part of abandoned and homeless Michael Oher who then found a wonderful home with the Touhy family, Mr. Aaron said he could readily identify with the cats who had been similarly abandoned and then found a wonderful home at Big Cat Rescue. While he was here, Mr. Aaron made a radio public service announcement for us that you can hear at the link below and on Cox Radio stations throughout the Tampa Bay Area. He also made a video that you can see at at the link below. It was an honor having Mr. Aaron visit us and we very much appreciate his passion for the cats and his support! <a href="https://bigcatrescue.org/2012/quinton-aaron-of-the-blind-side" target="_bla nk">https://bigcatrescue.org/2012/quinton-aaron-of-the-blind-side  

Top 5 Most Shocking Incidents of Big Cat Exploitation

 We hope by sharing this list with you each month you will join us in speaking out for the wild animals that are exploited across this country each and every day. We encourage you to take one small action today and reach out via phone or email to contact the offenders listed below and politely express your concern. Together we can be the voice for the voiceless…together we can make a difference. Please join us in our mission of Caring for Cats & Ending the Trade. No. 1 The Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo (Alabama) regularly offers tiger cub “encounters” where guests pay for photos with the cubs and to pet them. In order to continuously profit from this sort of exploitation they have recently acquired two new cubs. Have you ever wondered where these cubs go once they are too large and dangerous for public contact? The law currently permits contact with tiger cubs for only four weeks of their life. Can you imagine what the next 20 or so years of their lives must be like once they are no longer profitable props? Please speak up for these defenseless cubs! Phone: (251) 968-5731 Email: info@alabamagulfcoastzoo.org No. 2 The Hotel at Auburn University (Alabama) had the two tiger cubs from the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo at their football season kick-off event two weeks ago. Guests had the opportunity to hold and pet the cubs – there are even photos of one of the poor cubs being forced to wear an Auburn Tigers football helmet that are circulating the internet! If you do not agree with tiger cubs being exploited in this way, please let Hans van der Reijden, Managing Director of the hotel, know. “Renting” cubs like these only adds to the overwhelming number of abused and abandoned adult tigers, whom have outlived their usefullness, seeking refuge across the country. Phone: (334) 821-8200 Email: hans.vanderreijden@auhcc.com No. 3 Zootastic Park of Lake Norman (North Carolina) offers “cub encounters” and “safari encounters” that allow guests to “interact” with tiger cubs for an entire hour! In addition, the park owner Scottie Brown brings his tiger cubs to local malls and charges people to have their photos taken with them. It seems there is very little rest for these tiny cubs so that their four-week window of usefulness is maximized. Phone: (888) 966-0069 Email Owner Scottie Brown: info@zootasticpark.com No. 4 King Richard’s Faire (Massachusetts) continues to promote the explotation of tigers, lions and a liger until the end of October. You may have already responded to our alert last month (Thank you!) about this seven-week festival, but it’s so important we wanted to remi nd you again if you haven’t yet contacted the Faire and its sponsors. Learn more and take action at: https://catlaws.com No. 5 Chestatee Wildlife Preserve & Zoo (Georgia) is offering “tiger cub encounters” through October. The zoo’s website announces guests can bottle feed white tiger cubs who “love to snuggle” and have photos taken with them for $250 per person. Do you believe that given the choice these cubs would prefer to be handled by an endless line of people or to snuggle with their mom? Phone: (678) 859-6820 Email: info@chestateewildlife.com If you hear about exotic cats or cubs being exploited in your area, please contact Susan Bass at Susan.Bass@BigCatRescue.org. As always you can keep up with the latest action alerts at CatLaws.com Thank you! 

The Pumpkin Smash

 https://youtu.be/WGOvB1nO0dE Halloween Decorations, Cards, Treat Bags and More at BigCatFun.com! 

Military, Law Enforcement and Fire Fighters Discount!

 Did you know that Big Cat Rescue offers a 10% discount to all Military, Law Enforcement and Fire Fighters? Appropriate ID required. This is year round and only applies to the Day Tour. We also offer a 10% discount on the Day Tour for all USF students and employees with appropriate ID. 

Baby Bobcat Gets a Name

 Thanks to 878 of you who paid a dollar per entry to suggest a new name for our most recent rehab rescue bobcat kitten, he has a new name. The list of creative, cute and fun names was shuffled electronically and 12 names selected randomly to put in a bowl for a drawing. But who would get the honor of picking the winning name? It had to be someone totally trust worthy, who wouldn't peek at the suggestions. Jamie decided that Tigre the bobtailed domestic kitten, who had been reported as an orphaned bobcat and thus ended up with us, should be the one to draw the name. Being it was Tigre's first attempt at such a thing, she picked a whole mouthful of scrunched up paper slips, so we had to wait for her to shake all of them loose and settle on one. When she did, Jamie retrieved the slobbery entry and read the winning name which was COPTER ! As you may recall from last month's AdvoCat Ezine, this bobcat was originally transported from Captiva Island to the mainland via a helicopter, so this obviously inspired the winner to suggest this name. The money raised will help us to always be prepared to rescue native bobcats and prepare them for release back to the wild.  

Lots of Free Halloween Treats

 Visit https://bigcatfun.com/halloween.html for loads of wild Halloween party decorations, Halloween cards, trick-or-treat bags and Halloween games. There is always new stuff being added so visit often!