Lionheart

Spotted this beauty on our walk this morning! #ratsnake #wildlife (at Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve)

I THINK this guy’s name is Nicholas, I used to know them all by name based on spot patterns(he has the clover on his neck at the bottom of the photo).  When I volunteered as an interpreter at this station two years ago, he was still growing and his ossicones were much smaller.  He didn’t even have the third growth on his forehead.  It’s kinda crazy how quickly he grew, but I believe he’s 8 now.

This cheetah and her sister were apparently on display for the first time when we went that day after arriving from North Florida, and it seemed like they had really settled in nicely.  :]

Apache, bobcat

Big Cat Rescue 1-8-16

From BCR on Friday.  Not many cats were out but I did get to see some familiar faces, including Max here, who is a young bobcat that I used to train.

Ducks and Okapis C:

(Photo credit: Chris Poole)

Name: Sabre

Species: Black Asian Leopard

Sex: Male

Origin: Former Pet

Background: Sabre came to Big Cat Rescue when his former owners contacted us requesting that we board their animal.  This was very early in the sanctuary's history, before we learned the lessons that we know today.  Typically an animal like a leopard isn't one you can drop off on a family member or a neighbor so we were a final resort and agreed to board Sabre.  They gave us all their contact information and off they went.

Two weeks came and went, they never returned and all their contact information was false.  In reality, his owners likely just wanted to be rid of him because he became too big and unmanageable, like any of these wild cats will be.  Unfortunately, it's more likely for people to think the cat was defective and couldn't be "tamed" properly, and they will often try again witha new cub and repeat the cycle.

Sabre has been with us ever since, and is now quite the old man, well into his teens.  Black leopards are often mistakenly called black panthers, of which there is actually no such thing.  With these cats, they will only ever be black leopards or black jaguars, and the black coloration is caused by a condition called melanism.  It is completely natural and random, and they can actually be born into the same litter as their golden-coated counterparts.  Panthers are otherwise known as cougars or pumas, which do not ever occur in this black color and only ever the tawny brown that is always seen.

Name: Reno

Species: Asian Leopard

Sex: Male

Origin: Circus Performer

Background: Reno used to ride on the back of a horse-drawn chariot as part of his circus act.  Clearly this was not something he or the horses enjoyed, so when the act was cancelled Reno was fortunately retired with Big Cat Rescue.  Circus animals live miserable lives, forced to perform unnatural tasks in front of screaming crowds on a daily basis, and kept in tiny travel carriers in between shows.  Their living quarters are regulated by loose laws, stating the animal cannot be inside more than 60 days.  However, the enforcement is weak enough that loopholes are easy to find: letting a cat out for ten minutes or for a show resets the clock and they can go back into the cage for 60 more days.

When he came to the sanctuary, he didn't know how to climb. He was fully clawed, so perfectly capable, but he needed to be taught.  This was done by places treats up in the branches of trees, and with plenty of practice Reno finally learned how to climb.  Animal Planet actually heard about what we were doing and came out to film, but unfortunately that day Reno got his head stuck in the box we put the treats in, and had to wear it all the way down his tree.  He recovered just fine, albeit a bit embarrassed.

Reno lives out his days now in a large enclosure with trees to climb and platforms to perch on.  He loves to play hide and seek with keepers from outside his enclosure, and is considered quite the charmer by many.

Name: Banjo

Species: Binturong, "Bearcat"

Sex: Male

Origin: Educational animal

Background: Banjo is clearly not a cat.  When Big Cat Rescue first got started, it was called Wildlife on Easy Street.  The sanctuary took in an assortment of animals, all kinds until the decision was made to focus entirely on cats.  Banjo, along with our other binturongs, are left over from these days.

Binturongs are in the Viverridae family, which includes genets and civets.  They are native throughout Southeast Asia, and are a nocturnal, arboreal, and omnivorous species.  They have an incredibly unique musk, with a body odor and urine that smells like buttered popcorn, or Fritos, depending who you ask.  They have scent glands on the bottoms of their hind legs, and will often do what is called the "Binturong Shuffle" to mark their scent.

Banjo was brought around in a little cat carrier to schools to show children what a Binturong was and teach them about his species.  Because of this, Banjo is primarily diurnal and did not learn to climb as well as he should have.  While he did used to climb a little, he is now 20 years old and the old man doesn't really take to it anymore.  He much prefers sleeping on his platform, in his den, and under palmettos.

Banjo is the favorite of the sanctuary Founder's father, and he's the one that build a majority of the enclosures so Banjo is spoiled with a massive space that he hardly knows what to do with!  His favorite fruits are bananas, and sometimes he gets fig newtons as a treat, which he will happily root around bananas for to find and eat first.

(Photo credit: Chris Poole)

Name: Nikita

Species: Tiger

Sex: Male

Origin: Pay to Play Scheme

Background: Nikita came from the same facility as Joseph and Sasha and was also declawed as well as defanged.  When he opened up his mouth it is clear to see that he is missing his canines.  Nikita, along with the other defanged cats, can still eat properly however.  The canines are used for gripping and killing prey, their other teeth are used for slicing their meat to swallow whole in smaller pieces.  

He used to have a mate, Simba, who came as well from the facility, but she has since passed away and he now lives alone.  Nikita spends his days in peace in his large enclosure which has lake access for him to swim in on hot days.  When he's not dozing off while having a bath, he loves to show off his massive size by perching atop his platforms and sunning himself in the light that filters through his trees.

Big Cat Rescue

I only have a month left working at the sanctuary but it has been such an amazing experience so far that I HAD to make a video.  I went out filming several different days to get just the right kinds of footage and after a really good last day I was able to get just what I needed.  Enjoy =]