Cat Tales NKA The Big Cat Times

Cat Tales is a quarterly newsletter that goes out to all 20,000 of our supporters.  For your free copy, fill out the form HERE.When Things Look Their Bleakest, Have FaithA Special DeliveryOn December 2nd swaddled within an American Flag towel, a tiny kitten was rushed from the calm dark night into the bright lights of the West-Boensch Cat Hospital at Big Cat Rescue. A busy whirl of procedures followed in an effort to revive the lifeless ball of fur. Limp and showing signs of starvation and dehydration the cub did not express promise of survival. Once it was determined that she was not responding, as good as hoped for, keepers transported her to Carrollwood Cats. Dr. Stacie Wadsworth examined the cub and after fluids, shots, and blood withdrawals, the kitten was finally wrapped in a warm blanket and nestled on a heating pad in an oxygen box with an IV catheter taped into her forearm. Exhausted the small cub fell into a deep sleep. Prayers and restlessness were among the keepers' night. Over the course of the next few days the cub made progress by leaps and bounds and was appropriately named, Faith.The small delivery had been a four-week-old Florida Bobcat cub. A family getting into their car in a shopping plaza parking lot in Lutz had found the kitten. This was around the time of the first truly freezing temperatures of the winter. The cub was suspected to have lost her mother and it was unknown how long she had gone without food or warmth. They took the cub to a local clinic that refused to care for a native wild animal. Vet techs feared the worst for the spotted feline and took her home with them. Incredibly, they managed to obtain, founder, Carole Lewis' cell phone number and arranged for her to come and pick up the kitten.Faith Comes HomeUpon her release from the clinic to Big Cat Rescue, Faith was accompanied by a laundry list of special instructions and medication. The road ahead was definitely not paved. Over the course of the following few weeks the cub was caught up with elbow length leather welding gloves twice a day for shots, eye medication, & oral caloric gel. At first this was fairly easy to accomplish. Faith was weak from being sick. This task grew increasingly difficult, however, because as Faith grew stronger and healthier she began to revert to her wilder nature and was progressively becoming more difficult to work with. Faith spent her first few weeks in a small carrier indoors. This tiny habitat was large in comparison to the cub. A diet of ground meat supplemented with calcium and frozen whole chicks was offered and polished off twice a day.A Critical DecisionThis became the time to make a critical decision. Do we raise her as a captive animal or do we attempt to raise her to be wild ultimately releasing her back into her natural habitat? This was a very difficult decision to make. On one hand she would have a healthy long life receiving optimal care in the confines of a Cat-a-tat, on the other hand she could be free, to live her life as it was intended, even though that life is much shorter than an animal's life would be in captivity. After much thought and consideration the decision was made to raise Faith for release, a feat that had never been attempted with such a young animal at Big Cat Rescue. This journey would be learn as you go.A Bobcat NeighborAs the weeks passed and Faith grew she was advanced her into the next phase of her care. Her carrier was placed inside a 3'Hx3'Wx7'L wire cage adjacent to Bailey a resident Bobcat of Big Cat Rescue. The wire cage was enhanced with a bedding of hay, logs, and an alternate shelter. This new habitat was assembled next to Bailey so that Faith would recognize, vocalize, and ultimately imprint on her own species rather than on a human. Over the next few days, from observation areas, communications were monitored between Faith and Bailey. Faith immediately recognized Bailey as her own kind and the once shy hissing kitten was boldly pouncing out and chirping at her new Bobcat friend. When any human approached the cub's enclosure she would instinctively hide, which was a tremendous accomplishment, she naturally feared humans. This also assisted keepers in catching her up each night, as she would hide in her carrier. She could not be left outside over night due to the cold temperatures. At several weeks old she would keep warm by snuggling with her mother and siblings.A Whole Prey DietEvery day of her life Faith was given a diet of killed whole prey. She had to eat small birds and rats so that she could recognize her prey when released into the wild. One day a hawk attacked a seagull, but the gull was too heavy and the hawk abandoned the kill. Keepers, who witnessed the event, gathered up the dead bird. This special dinner was to be offered in a very special way. Keepers hung the bird from the roof of the three-foot tall cage to simulate a bird in flight hoping to encourage some predator behaviors. This was the perfect day for such an experiment. There was a strong breeze that made the gull sway from side to side. After an hour or so an apprehensive young Bobcat emerged from her ”den” to investigate. At first she timidly batted at the bird and ran to safety if it moved in response. Through out the next hour she grew more brazen and even bold enough to jump full on the gull hanging on with her claws. This was terribly exciting to see an experiment show such a positive result. After releasing the prey from its hook she dragged her “kill” into her den to feast.New Rehab Facility ConstructedAs Faith outgrew her cage by Bailey an existing kennel run with a natural floor was converted into a rehab facility. Special considerations were taken so that Faith would see humans as little as possible. A special screening was installed onto the walls so that keepers could approach without being detected. Branches and brush lined the perimeter of the enclosure to provide a naturalistic habitat.

A large tree branch was suspended from the ceiling. A pond was replicated with a watering trough. And last but most importantly a simulated clearing in the palmettos was achieved. This was a carefully thought out design. An ordinary dog carrier was turned upside down so that the vented sides were closer to the ground allowing for a Bobcat peering through surrounding brush to discover movement by spotting the prey inside the carrier. The vented sides and the carrier door were covered with a transparent cloth so that smaller prey could not squeeze out. A large hole was cut out of the roof of the carrier so that Faith could get into the carrier to catch her dinner. A thick screening of palmettos and branches were anchored to all four sides of the carrier to create this “nook in the brush”, where her prey, such as rats, would typically be found in their natural environment. The carrier provided an inescapable holding area that Faith could access. With the completion of this creative simulation came a hard and morally difficult duty. Feeding live prey. After a few days of observing, keepers never saw her use the feeding area. So her daily ration of ground meat with vitamins was served inside the carrier to train her to look for food in the space. Each night a rat was placed in the carrier as well. Every morning the ground meat and the rat were gone but still no one had actually seen her capture a rat. Keepers grew concerned that the rats may be escaping. Upon routine cleaning of Faith's enclosure, however, fecal samples were examined. They showed signs of fur and bones! Who knew poop could be so exciting! The simulated palmetto nook had worked. Faith is getting bigger by the day and is learning so many important survival skills.Future Plans For Faith The next step in teaching her to hunt her own food is to expand the nook into a hunting ground about one third of her existing enclosure. This will force her to chase after her food and will aid in the development of hunting skills as well as muscle tone. It has been quite a learning experience thus far and looks to be one of the most memorable adventures Big Cat Rescue Keepers will have ever endured.Faith - A Documentary On the very first night of Faith's arrival before she was taken in to the clinic, I thought about her chances of survival and that if she did make it and we did successfully release her back into the wild what an amazing story that would be. I set up my video camera and began to film. Everywhere Faith went she was trailed by this camera, her days in the oxygen box, her medications being administered, her first communications with Bailey, her first “kill”, investigating her large rehab enclosure. All these priceless moments were captured for future reference as well as for the public to see what is involved with the rehab of a wild Bobcat. The camera was set up on a tripod and operated from a distance, so every behavior filmed was completely natural, she had no idea that big brother was watching. I will continue to document her advances and look forward to the ultimate ending, a Bobcat darting from a carrier into the great wide-open wilds where she belongs.-Jamie Veronica  Can You Help Us Hurdle This Fence?We need your help to build a new perimeter fence. The American Zoological Association, for which we are applying accreditation to, has informed Big Cat Rescue of new standards for perimeter fencing required for approval.We have a $32,000 fundraising challenge facing us. This translates into 5,000 linear fence needed. We decided to break this down into bite-sized portions of 10-foot segments at $75 each. We need to purchase 500 of these 10-foot segments.This is where you can help. How many could you, your friends, or your company sponsor?For each $75 sponsorship you will receive the satisfaction of knowing that you have helped plus A special edition screensaver (available only through this fundraiser) 2 Two-for-One Tour Passes and Name recognition on a prominent display.Order online in our secure gift shop: Fence Sponsor. BCR PREPARES FIRST AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMNTS SO IT CAN APPLY FOR GRANTS With the help of CPA Marsha Weiss and CFA, CFP Michael McCord, BCR expects to produce its first audited financial statements. Michael is assisting Howard Baskin and Barbara Stairs, who manage our finances internally, in preparing for the audit.In the past, the cost of an audit and our lack of in house expertise to be able to prepare for an audit made it impractical. Howard, who has an MBA and a finance background, became Advisory Board Chairman last year and began working with Barbara then to set up accounting procedures that would make an audit possible. Both Marsha and Michael, who are experts in non-profit accounting, are providing their services at modest cost and donating part of their time, for which we are very grateful.The audit is a critical step in achieving our long term financial goal of insuring the future funding of the sanctuary. Many foundations and other donors, particularly those able to donate larger amounts, will not accept applications from non-profits that do not have audited financial statements. They understandably seek the assurance of a third party having verified the numbers that are being presented to them. We are very excited about the prospect of now being able to apply for grants that were previously unavailable to us. Thanks Mike and Marsha for making this next step in our financial growth possible!  Love Connection...of the furry kind!True love was found in Ybor City this Valentine's Day at N o More Homeless Pets in Hillsborough County 's “Centro Animal” Pet Adopt-a-thon!The 4-hour event in Centro Ybor featured over 100 dogs and cats from 21 shelters and rescue groups working together to make a difference for homeless pets. 42 animals met their new families at the event, with an additional 60 pending completed applications.No More Homeless Pets in Hillsborough County (NMHP-HC) is a coalition of 28 rescue groups and individuals whose united goal is to end animal overpopulation in our community. Currently, over 33,000 animals are “put to sleep” each year in Hillsborough simply because there are not enough homes for them. The coalition focuses on spay/neuter programs, education and working together as a community to save lives.Adopters received free passes to Big Cat Rescue and GameWorks, as well as goodie bags with coupons for their new pets. Our own Big Cat Rescue volunteer, Christy Anderson served as co-chairman of the event. The group's next adoptathon is scheduled for April 17th at the Florida State Fairgrounds.For more information about No More Homeless Pets in Hillsborough County and how you can help save lives, please visit: https://www.nmhp-hc.org or contact : info@nmhp-hc.org; 813-818-9381. Most Extreme Animal Planet Shoot On February 12, a crew from the N atural History New Zealand came to Big Cat Rescue to film a segment for the Animal Planet series, “The Most Extreme”. This episode, entitled “The Most Extreme Cats”, will feature appearances by Bengali the Tiger and Reno the Leopard as well as showcasing the enrichment and operant conditioning programs here at Big Cat Rescue.The show will also include stories of how animals end up at the sanctuary and interviews with the staff. The show will air this summer and we will post dates and times on the website, as soon as they are available.Claws and Effect How can you tell a real sanctuary from a fake? It's actually easier than telling a diamond from a cubic zirconium because if you look at them, under any light at all, they are easy to tell apart. The problem is that the fake ones insist on keeping you in the dark. Some legitimate sanctuaries believe that their animals should never have to see humans, other than for their daily feeding and cleaning, and are closed to the public. Pseudo sanctuaries use this same tactic to keep the public from seeing the deplorable conditions that their animals are kept in.Fake sanctuaries often have wonderful web sites full of self serving documentation about all the wonderful ways your donations save lives. They rely heavily on direct mail campaigns and paid solicitors. N ew laws have enabled these mail houses to front the costs and then pay themselves, exorbitantly, from the proceeds making it that much easier for pseudo sanctuaries to solicit funds. This means that even less of your donation is actually going to the cause (assuming any of it was before).There are a few fool proof ways to know if the sanctuary you support is a real sanctuary or a fake:1. Real sanctuaries don't breed or buy animals. If there are babies, they were probably bought or born there. People don't get rid of them until they are too big to handle. If there is a baby, ask how it got there and ask for proof.2. Real sanctuaries don't exploit animals. They don't take dangerous animals out in public on leashes or in cages. Many pseudo sanctuaries do and they say they are educating the public that these animals don't make good pets, but when people see that they can be walked on leashes or taken out in public to be shown off or to make money, then they will want to buy one of their own. It is the equivalent of saying to your audience, “Do as I say, and not as I do.”Real sanctuaries adhere to the law. They will be licensed by the state, and usually by the USDA. They will be classified by the IRS as a non profit 501 c 3 charity. They will be licensed by the state to solicit donations, and every piece of solicitation that you see, from print to web site, will have documentation of the fact that they are so licensed. Some states, such as Florida , go a step further and require that the percentage that goes to the program services of the cause be included in all solicitation materials. Big Cat Rescue spends 100% of its donations on program services (ie: taking care of the cats).4. Real sanctuaries meet the highest sanctuary standards. Fake sanctuaries will say that they don't like the politics, or it's a waste of donor's money, or that they don't want someone else telling them how to take care of their animals, but none of those are valid reasons for not meeting the highest sanctuary standards. Many fake sanctuaries are licensed by their state and by USDA and will tell you that these governing bodies are the watchdogs of the industry, but neither USDA nor any state law defines a sanctuary as being a place where animals are not bred, sold or exploited. USDA's standards only require that an animal's cage be big enough that he can stand up and turn around in it.The Global Federation of Sanctuaries only accredits real sanctuaries. It only costs $150.00 per year to be a member and the application is only four pages long, so it is not a huge investment of time and money. Accreditation is only granted after an on-site inspection if the facility meets the high standards of care and responsibility. The facility must continue to maintain those standards and be re-inspected regularly to insure compliance. Membership provides real sanctuaries with a method of demonstrating their excellence to the public and donors. Membership also enables small sanctuaries across the nation to unite as one voice for the animals because The Global Federation of Sanctuaries is a member of the Captive Wild Animal Protection Coalition which is made up of 20 huge organizations including the Humane Society of the United States, The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, The Animal Protection Institute, Peta and many more.5. Real sanctuaries spend your donated dollars on program services. This means they spend the money on the things that made you select them as your charity. GuideStar.com lists all non profit organizations and posts their tax returns so that you can see how the money is being spent. If you type in the key word “animal” almost 15,000 organizations are listed, but only 45 of them are accredited by The Association Of Sanctuaries. The industry standard allows that charities spend up to 35% of their donations on soliciting and still be considered reputable. A search of the 990s on GuideStar will show that often fake sanctuaries spend as much as 75% of their donations on raising more money. In almost all of these cases you will see that the biggest expense in the pseudo sanctuary is in providing a salary to the founder. Big Cat Rescue's founder never has and never will be paid from your donations.As in every aspect of life, the truth is out there. With the right tools you can discover it for yourself.Carole Lewis, Founder Sanctuary Conference Come learn how to:Start a SanctuaryOrganizational and Board DevelopmentFund Raising and Public RelationsVeterinary Medicine for SanctuariesHow to get Volunteers & Help You NeedWhen: March 25-28 Where: Atlanta , GA Cost: $215The Global Federation of Sanctuaries accredits high quality sanctuaries around the nation. Sanctuaries provide lifetime care to animals that have been exploited or displaced and do not breed, sell, buy, or use animals for any commercial purpose. We welcome collaborations with like minded people and organizations.The Global Federation of Sanctuaries www.taosanctuaries.org/conferece/Index.htm1013 Lesa Lane Garland TX 75042 972-485-5647 fax 487-9843 TAOS5@aol.com Big Cat Stats for 2003 $349,133 was received in donations$437,497 was spent on operating costs4750 families toured the sanctuary40 school groups & 8 scout troops visited26 outreach programs w ere offered22 educational programs were free of charge650 locations stock Big Cat Rescue Brochures5200 hits per day on bigcatrescue.org1 off-site fundraiser, The Fur Ball, raised $33,00010 Big Cats were rescued. 8 cats came to Big Cat Rescue and 2 were found a suitable home at another accredited facility. Free Things You Can Do To Help 1. Each American household receives an average of 1.5 trees worth of bulk mail advertisements each year. To be taken off national mailing lists, neatly print:*Take us off all your mailing lists.*Your complete name.*Include initials, and variations of spellings.*Add misspellings etc. found on mailings.*Give complete address with apartment # and full zip code.Send it to: Mail Preference Service Direct Marketing AssociationP.O. Box 9008 Farmingdale , N Y 11735-9008Be patient, it takes 4-6 months to stop receiving unsolicited bulk mailings.2. Got a web site and want to help big cats?By providing a link to bigcatrescue.org on your web site or your business' web site, you better our position with the search engines so that more people will be able to learn about the plight of the big cats.https://bigcatrescue.org Volunteer Spotlight Matt Ruszczyk has been a volunteer at Big Cat Rescue for almost 5-years. He is one of the many people dedicated to Big Cat Rescue and its mission. Back in July of 1999 Matt visited Big Cat Rescue and stayed overnight in one of the cabins. This was a gift to him from his wife, Jennifer. She knew that he was an animal lover and thought this was something unusual and would make a lasting impression on him. Little did she know how much of a lasting impression this birthday would leave?During Jennifer and Matt's stay, they decided to volunteer at Big Cat Rescue. When Matt first started volunteering he thought he would volunteer one day a week. This was until he met Glory. Soon he started spending every weekend at the sanctuary and fed in the evenings after work. His wife likes to say that she was the reason he started spending more time at Big Cat Rescue but it was really Glory that stole his heart. Glory was a cougar that had huge bright blue eyes. She loved to hide in the palmettos in her cage and when Matt would come near her cage she would pounce out to see him. Then she would lie down next to him purring. She just loved to be near him. Matt often snuck away so he could sit with her. When the other volunteers were starting a project they always knew they could find Matt next to Glory's cage.One day Glory became very ill and, after a long battle, she passed away. Matt's heart was broken. Even though it was very difficult for him to return to Big Cat Rescue after her death, he knew he had many other animals that depended on him there.Soon after losing Glory, Matt started spending time with another cat at the sanctuary: a Snow Leopard named Zoe.Zoe was a shy snow leopard that few tours ever got to see. But, Matt's tours always got to see her because she would sit at the front of her cage and wait for him. As soon as she would see him coming, she would start to chuff until he made his way over to her cage. Matt still could not get Glory out of his mind though. Matt started thinking that he wanted something lasting to remember her by. He had always wanted a tattoo but could never think of a design that he would want on his body permanently.Through research on the internet and looking at magazines, he found a world renowned tattoo artist named Tom Renshaw out of Berkley , Michigan . He specializes in photo-realistic tattoos, especially wildlife (www.TomRenshaw.com). Matt made an appointment to fly up and get a tattoo of Glory on his arm. Two weeks after Matt made his appointment for his tattoo, Zoe, too, passed away, from an adverse reaction from a spider bite. Her death was very unexpected and once again Matt's heart was broken. He contacted Tom Renshaw and asked if he could do two tattoos while Matt was up there. Tom rearranged his schedule so he could meet both of Matt's requests.Every person that knew either one of these cats is amazed and touched when they see how much the tattoo's look like Glory and Zoe.This story is a constant reminder of how each of the animals at Big Cat Rescue leaves a lasting impression on the guests, staff, and volunteers.These are actual photos of the tatoos on Matt's arm. They only look like fine art.- Jennifer Ruszczyk, Wife, Volunteer, Committee Member Lightning Can Strike the Same Place Twice. Big Cat Rescue had special guests from the Tampa Bay Lightning. All-Star defenseman Pavel Kubina visited the sanctuary with his family, who were in town from the Czech Republic . Also on the tour were Lightning forward N ikita Alexeev and trainer Adam Rambo. Thanks to trainer Mike Griebel for organizing the tour and special thanks to Pavel for his donation and tickets for the volunteers. Big Cat Rescue's Summer Camp Camp Conservation 2004Your kids will learn about conservation of wildlife and how they can make a big difference right now! They will also learn about zoo keeping and how we take care of the big cats. Kids will get to see lions and tigers along with other smaller cat species and learn where they come from and threats to their habitats.Your child will learn what the animals eat in the wild and in captivity, how they communicate and what we can do to save them from extinction. Activities include arts and crafts, games, movies and plenty of outdoor exploration.Children will need to wear tennis shoes and clothes they can get dirty and bring their own lunch.Class size is limited to insure the quality of the interaction with your child. Each session is four days long. Price is per session. Choose one session or any number of them depending on the interest your child has in learning responsibility for animals and the environment.Kids ages 10-15Sessions run Monday - Thursday, 8 AM-1 PM Only $150 per child per four-day sessionSessions are:July 12-15July 19-22July 26-29 Sessions limited to 8 children so sign up early.Call Anissa Camp at (813) 323-3265 to register or sign up HERE. Woo Hoo!!! Woo Hoo!!! Woo Hoo!!! The Hillsborough County Board of Commissioner's approved Big Cat Rescue's Planned Development Zoning Application by a 5 to 1 vote.  Thank you everyone who helped make this possible!Details on the plan here: https://bigcatrescue.org/zoning.htm Website Gets a Wild New Look! If you haven't visited Big Cat Rescue's website in a while, you really need to check it out! (this made a lot more sense in the printed version of Cat Tales)New navigation, a polished up look, and brand new pages are just a few of the cool new features at bigcatrescue.org. Thank you James Moline for getting us up and running.The “Big Cat News” page is updated daily with news articles from across the world focusing on the problems associated with owning Big Cats as pets.Our quarterly newsletter, Cat-Tales, is now online at bigcatrescue.org/cat_tales.htm.Get involved and give support to the causes and campaigns directly benefiting all Big Cats. Visit the Support Legislation for all the info. Update On Project Feed The Cats We are very excited to announce that we have moved into the new Food Prep Station, although a few minor projects are still under construction. The building has proved to be much more efficient and the larger workspace is a great benefit. We have collected to date $39,298 of the $40,000 needed to fund this project. We still need your help to collect the last $702 in donations needed to complete the construction. This new addition will ease the daily task of preparing more than 500 lbs. of raw meat a day, with built in sinks, refrigerators, freezers, and stainless steel countertops. Thank you so much to all of you that have given to this worthwhile project. Some of you have even given more than once. We are astounded by the continuing support all of you give us each time that we ask for help. Helping Others 100, 2 for 1, passes donated to Dress For Success a charity that provides business attire to underprivileged women so that they can interview for better jobs to support themselves and their families.Big Cat Expedition and 50, 2 for 1, passes donated to Voices for Animals annual fundraiser.300 , 2 for 1, passes donated to The National Humane Society to help with spay/neuter and adoption programs. Benches For Sale  Well for sponsorship to be more accurate. In the Winter issue of Cat-Tales we offered a very unique opportunity for donors to have their name engraved on a plaque which would be prominently displayed on the bench that they sponsored. There are a limited number of these benches left available for sponsorship so don't delay and take advantage of this exclusive offer.One of the most popular spots on our property is the “beach” that looks out over the lake and the tiger cat-a-tats. This area is where we hold events and parties and school children have their lunches. Our Expedition guests watch the sun set there and enjoy the tranquility.Previously our seating there and in our orientation area has been cheap plastic chairs that were never pretty and now are showing their age. We have replaced them with clever wood bench/tables that convert from a park style bench to a picnic table as needed.The new benches provide a wonderful, attractive way to thank donors who help fund this project. For a $250 contribution, the donor's bench will have a beautiful brass recognition plate with “Donated by” and their name (or “In memory of” if purchased as a memorial for a loved one, either human or animal).Of the 24 benches purchased for this seating area almost half have already been sponsored. If you would like to reserve a bench, please call Barbara Stairs at 813-920-6534 now while there are still some available! Or, order online HERE. Severe Bitemarks!That's what you can put into this issue by uniting with others. What's the issue ? The defense of the big cats and bringing light to their plight. We're talking about being a big cat AdvoCat. This is where you can let your voice join with others for a fiercely positive result.Yes, we have a beautiful sanctuary housing well cared-for animals…but there were 300 last year that we can not help. That number doubles every year! They are turned away due to lack of space and funding.Why? Because there are many throwaways from roadside zoos and private owners and auctions who have no place to go. The country is flooded with these stories. We must stop the problem and not just patch it.This is where you come in. One voice is strong but can you imagine all our 20,000 supporters mobilizing over the important issues as they arise? We can write letters, spread the word and change legislation and most importantly change minds.Can we count on you to be an AdvoCat ?We will respect your time. We'll send you a brief bulletin once or twice a month to keep you up to date on practical action steps you can take. If you are interested in joining the AdvoCat Program and receiving e-mail bulletins on how you can help just sign on to the AdvoCat page (bigcatrescue.org/advocats.htm) of our website.Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! There were 49 $25 Donations Feed The Great Cats Little Family Foundation $10,000Cindy Glessner $100Theresa Karpowicz $25Shannon CasajuanaEdith CzeropskiDonations 501.00 - 3500.00 Gasparilla Charity Horse Show $3,400Diane Roger Verizon $1295Gunn Hwy Wal-Mart $1,000Debra Ruhlman $934$500 Donations Betty Balfour MarksCarole BlackEbe & Donald BowerPeter A. RosensteinRosy Emdey & VerizonDonations 251.00 - 350.00 Cathy Coppage $350Loraine Margeson $304Creative Mailbox Designs $300$250 Donations N . Taylor EnterprisesJoseph & Annette PrijatelRita Ann ReimerKenneth ReutlingerJudy Stimson$200 Donations Burt & Arlene Alimanski/WestKirk DavisKaren ElsberryRosalinde KaufmanKaren Dee WilliamsN ational Heritage Foundation$175.00 Donations Barbara & Ted Alber $175$150 Donations Josh AbrahamsMary CzarnikMary Lou GeisFred KahnJeff & Judy Lipman$100 Donations AnynomousJoAnn BognerStephanie BotellMichele & Mark Fleeter/MillerJoan GalvinCaitlin JohnsonRandall MillerRichard MirroKay Kester OliverSusan PaigeWild Eyes PhotographyPaula ReevesAnna Marie SmoyerJack Talman TankSally WallaceJill WellerMarilyn WestenborgDonations $80-$52 Brett & Brandi Mitchell $80Tracy Vanderzyl $75Kenneth Wollenberg $65.50Karen Barnett $60Ralph & Josephine Whittier $55Clorox $52$50 Donations Kerri MorrisAndrew KanikAV PresentationsWilliam BarnettRose BorkowskiCharles BowersEllen & Steve CecilSonia CooperMichael DotyRobin FerreiraJohn FurlongMs. Kerry GilbertMark GloorGwen & Brandy GnadtSusan GreenGary HaleMary HeilmanSusan HomnerM. Lynne KarniolRoger & Carol LandersPhyllis LaytonMissy LumbardMadelyn LymanMrs. M. MacMillanMargaret McGarryCandice MillerDorothy MoellerMrs. Richard OlsenBarbara & Ted PalBetsy ParkerJacqueline PickeringIrene ScroggieBob & Chin SekacBarry SheffieldAdrienne & Bruce SyropDorothy ThorntonRichard WalmerLynn WaltersAlexandria WhitneyJane Zaremski

Membership Programs

Explorers $1,000 Cy & Joanne SpurlinoDarlene ExcretaMichael ExcretaHabitat Defenders $500 Paul StarmanBonnie WilponWildLife Protectors $150 Robert HannonColleen KasperekDonna ScharrettPamela SimonLinda De BottariAnn G. ZaharisForest Friends $50 Kerri Morris & Andrew KanikJane FaillaAmy FelconeJames FellowsJoe GencoJack & Susan HeyerToni LymanRobert & June MartinJean ShermanLynn SherwoodDarlene TschiemberRandall MillerBrian PurdyAnimal Lovers $30 Colleen ChrienMaya Medical Fund John Rledinger $100Kenneth Reutlinger $20In Memory Of Barbara Lezarus, $25 In Memory Of Joseph MeitchikBench Sponsors $250 Charles F. Reimer FamilyIn Memory of OakeyIn Memory of O.D. Harr (“Tiger”)Colleen KasperekVicki KeeferDiane RogerErin StoddardCynthia TouchtonUSF Beta Alpha PsiCat Conservation Mary Heilman $50Sponsorships $25 or more Jack & Libby Madden,$500 for 20 kitsLisa Olsen, $225 for 9Oak Grove 5th Grade,Linda GilleyMaria CoombsShaye Cunningham Dorothy & Shelley AlbeeAlex BrownFrederick & Judith HohorstChelsea CurrensJill LevinGeorge Walker IIIBrian PurdyAretta & Eric BaumgartnerJane t KalmadgeLinda De BottariKelly GarciaLarry & LorraineHawkinsRyan OlsonKim & Bill OwensAnn G. Zaharis Mackenzie LevinEdith CzeropskiLori TeallMiranda CrossleyJoyce GirgentiBarbara LinggJudi RosenvoldSarah Mettlen, $50Shannon CasajuanaMary Celec $100Mark GilbertDiane Fanelli, $31 Brigitte Ajluni, $625Christina BolerEileen KanalyVini & Ed KrufkaJessica Ann N oblittDaphne WarobiewPatsy ButterbrodtSamantha FedelesVicki MorrowTampa Woman's ClubN ann SchauppMelissa PershinaJohn & Joan ShimerdaColleen Chrien, $55Vicki Keefer, $30Taylor HowellChristina RandolphArianna AmesJustin BurnsJackie KnoxMary CarterLori JohnsonKirsten MarztigerStephanie Ocko Mills RamsaySamantha ScottPam Tucker, $30Michael Barman, $35Brent Granger, $100Tyler WatsonMary CulhaneCarole ReesRobert WallaceBeckie Colby, $100Shawn Turner, $100Misty Dugar, $75Anonymous, $100Beth KingMichelle PalmerMcKenzie McCarthySandra SicklerEllen SmithWilfred Hupp $50,Laura MearsBetty McIntyreSusan BrownT. & Anne CoolsSnydersKate McDonald, $100Brett DillDavid PotterCarol MorgensternStanley Sienkiewicz, $150Sean DillMichelle DissPhilip LuCynthia TremonteLinda Glavach, $30Lynda RobertsNorman RoyBruce TaylorKaty ZieglerSupporters Carrollwood CatsDr. Stacie WadsworthDr. Jim RaySheldon Winn DixieBayer Corporation & Kim Matthews 

Thank you so much for your constant support.

The above grand total of these donations is

$38,600.19