AdvoCat News 2011 01

Happy New Year from Big Cat Rescue!

Last year was our best year ever, thanks to so many wonderful supporters like you!  We were able to accomplish so much good for the big cats here and world wide thanks to your financial support and your letters to lawmakers and decision makers.  We just couldn't do it without you.I am sure that this year will even exceed last year, but it has gotten off to a rocky start due to our website being down or virtually non functional for the month of January.  Our email was down as well, so if you tried to reach us and we didn't respond, please try again.  We are switching from an old, static html site to an interactive content management system and it has been hard with tens of thousands of pages, images, videos and flash games to move.  We tried three hosts and none of them could handle the volume of visitors and the magnitude of activity, so we are on host number four and things are looking promising now.  The site is up, but many of the links are still not functional yet.  We will be working around the clock to get it all working as it should.I cannot edit the main site at BigCatRescue.org yet, so some of our stories are posted at the back up site at BigCatRescue.com which will be eliminated when the .org site is stable.Meanwhile, I wanted to give you a little update on what has been happening at the sanctuary:

Skip the Bobcat

I was right in the middle of sending an email to LaWanna about some promotions she was dreaming up for the ChatBigCats.com site when Honey Wayton, our gift shop manager called and relayed an urgent message.A woman had called to say they had found a bobcat alongside the highway and had it loose in their SUV and wanted to know what to do next because it was getting pretty mad.Read this exciting and heartwarming account of how a bobcat became an inspiration for thousands of cat lovers.https://bigcatrescue.org/highlights/bobcat_hit_by_car___help_with_matching_grant_donation

Big Cat Rescue Gets Bigger

We have been trying to buy this ten acre tract since the late 1980's because it is nestled right in the middle of our own L shaped 45 acres.  As real estate values grew we saw it go far beyond our budget in the early 2000s and even after the market tanked, we still were hundreds of thousands of dollars apart in our negotiations.  They wanted a million, then 750k, then 600k and we were maxed out in our offer of 250k. If you haven't figured it out from the headline, or if you'd like to see photos of it check out:https://bigcatrescue.org/big-cat-rescue-gets-bigger/

New Videos of Big Cats in Action

Tigers vs Rhino https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qTZJufs1zIHow To Flea Treat 100+ Big Cats https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA4lQIylzwgLion Meat Tacos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRYfCxyTSD4Check out our mini clips here:  https://www.youtube.com/user/DailyBigCat

Valentine's Day E Cards and Freebies

Choose from hundreds of big cat Valentine's Day e-cards, Valentine's Day games, puzzles and gifts you can download and give to your special sweetheart on the sweetest of days.Valentine eCardshttps://www.bigcatfun.com/ecards/subcat4.htmlValentine Games & Goodieshttps://www.bigcatfun.com/valentines.htmlUpdated Flash Games Galleryhttps://www.bigcatfun.com/flash-games/index.html24 sets of Make Your Own Children's Valentine Trading Card Programshttps://www.bigcatfun.com/games/make_valentine/index.html

Big Cat Rescue Awarded Most Relevant Charity in WEDU's Be More Awards

Every year Big Cat Rescue has won the People's Choice Award by the PBS station WEDU thanks to all of our fans in the 16 county radius voting for us.  We wanted to let someone else have a chance at that award and did not apply for it in 2010, but rather applied in the Most Relevant category and won!  Check it out here:https://bigcatrescue.org/highlights/big_cat_rescue_best_use_of_video

Three Media Blogs Recognize Big Cat Rescue As Social Media Success

Big Cat Rescue is on the front lines of using social media to change the way people think about exotic cats. In just the past month Big Cat Rescue has been lauded on three high profile blogs as a great example of a non-profit that has mastered the art of social media.  Get the scoop at:https://www.examiner.com/cats-in-tampa-bay/three-media-blogs-recognize-big-cat-rescue-as-social-media-success

Movie Review: The Last Lions

National Geographic Movies gave Big Cat Rescue the honor of viewing their upcoming release called The Last Lions which will debut February 18. The information that we stockpile on big cats dates back into the early 20th century and I have probably seen every second of big cat footage to ever be shown, but The Last Lions took my breath away.  Find out why:https://www.examiner.com/cats-in-tampa-bay/movie-review-the-last-lions

Whole Foods Market Selects Big Cat Rescue For Donate Your Dime Program

Whole Foods Market in Tampa has selected Big Cat Rescue as the non-profit recipient of the grocer’s Donate Your Dime program beginning in January. Located in Tampa, Big Cat Rescue is the largest accredited sanctuary in the country dedicated entirely to abused and abandoned exotic cats.  Find out why:https://www.examiner.com/cats-in-tampa-bay/whole-foods-market-selects-big-cat-rescue-for-donate-your-dime-program

Big Cat Wins!

The year is new and already we have seen some huge wins for big cats thanks to people like YOU!China Jan 20, 2011:  Live animal shows and circuses are hugely popular in China, and draw around 150 million visitors a year at 700 zoos. However, thanks to people who have stood up for the animals, the Chinese government has banned animal circuses and warned its zoos they must stop abusing animals or face closure. The Ministry of Construction, who is the governmental agency overseeing the zoos, issued a declare on October 26th, 2010 to stop animal performance in all the zoos. The State Forestry Administration also banned live feeding in zoos and safari parks and is forcing zoos to stop selling animal parts in their shops.  Zoo restaurants will have to stop serving dishes made out of rare animals and zoos will no longer be able to pull the teeth of baby tigers so that tourists can hold them and pose with them for photos.  https://bigcatrescue.org/big-cat-bans-enacted/A Tucson, AZ eatery had planned lion tacos on the menu but after animal lovers voice their outrage they decided against the publicity stunt.Lion, Tiger and Liger Cub Abuse at North Platte Mall is picketed https://bigcatnews.blogspot.com/2011/01/protesters-picket-north-platte-mall.html and the media reports about why having your picture made with a cub does nothing for conservation and causes a life time of misery for the animals.To see what issues are pending right now than need your voice, please visit CatLaws.comTo help us keep up this work to save big cats please donate here where every dollar you donate is being matched:https://www.razoo.com/story/-200-000-Matching-Grant-In-Memory-Of-William-And-Lois-ModglinThanks!  Carole Baskin, Founder and CEO of Big Cat Rescue