Cats of every kind are amazing. The big cats like lions are those we must pause to watch because they’re so rare and beautiful. One place that has cared for these animals is The Big Cats Rescue located on 45 beautiful acres in Tampa Florida. The Big Cat Rescue has been in business for over 15 years taking care of some of natures most beautiful and magnificent wild animals. It is home to 150 Big Cats of all varieties and sizes including lions, tigers, cougars and other amazing and very different types of Big Cats. Although the faculty is large, the staff at the Big Cat Rescue Sanctuary cannot take every large cat because they are often completely full to capacity.
Turning away on an average year 150 to well over 300 Cats may seem unthinkable. The truth of the matter is few realize that the Big Cat Rescue Sanctuary becomes a permanent retirement home for all of the Cats they do take in, and that these big cats live a long time. Some big cats at the sanctuary can live over 20 years, which doesn’t leave very many openings to other Cats that are in need of a home.
The Big Cat Rescue Sanctuary focuses on protecting the health of these cats during their retirement. Cats are spayed and neutered, and they do not breed the cats. One thing you may notice during your visit is that there are no cubs found anywhere on the property either. A Big Cat is for the most part are known to be very easy going for being such a large animal. However, due to their size and natural instincts they become aggressive when hungry or not feeling well or just having a bad day and came become dangerous to humans. These cats are give the best care available, and Inn Keepers rarely come into physical contact with the cats unless it is deemed necessary to do so or for emergencies reasons and feeding time. This leave the cats to live in peace, in as natural an environment as possible.
The Big Cat Rescue is an absolutely great place that has scheduled public guided tours so you can learn about why these animals are there and what causes them to be abandoned. The tours also teach you what products not to buy and what to look for while visiting your local Flea Markets and Pet Fairs. They also create awareness that there are currently no programs to put these cats back into the wild. You also learn to cost of caring for these abandoned animals on a daily base, which can be over $1,000.00 a day for their food and the veterinarian bills to keep them healthy and to ensure they get quality care. This doesn’t include the operating cost of staffing and all the overhead cost of The Big Cat Rescue either. That’s a lot of money.
Did You Know? - Lions like Cameron are given vasectomies instead of being neutered? This is unlike domestic cats and smaller wild cats, these larger cats lose testosterone when neutered. This leads to the loss of a lion's mane, not to mention they become very grouchy.
Big Cat Rescue is one of the world’s largest sanctuaries for wild cats that provided a retirement home for more than 100 lions, tigers, leopards, cougars, servals, caracals, sand cats and others representing 16 of the 35 species of exotic cat, many of which are threatened or endangered in the wild. The rescue’s mission will now continue in Arkansas at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, where many of the big cats were moved.
By Judy Worley
Support The Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge:
Please visit the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge to find out about the Big Cats, protection and conservation programs.
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