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Community Corner

Lions, Tigers, And Volunteers Make Big Cat Rescue Grrrreeeat!

Patch chats with Jeff Kremer, Director of Donor Appreciation for Big Cat Rescue in honor of National Wildlife Week.

The National Wildlife Federation – the country’s largest conservation organization – has declared March 14-20 National Wildlife Week, urging communities to celebrate the wildlife all around us. 

One of the county's most dense population of wildlife sits not to far from Westchase, in a wooded 55-acre sanctuary steps from the Citrus Park Mall. 

Founded in 1992 by Carole Baskin, Big Cat Rescue is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the care of exotic cats.  Big Cat’s primary objectives include, empowering and educating the public with information on these animals and the charity, rescuing wildcats who may have been abandoned or abused, and using their resources and knowledge to change laws and regulations.

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Accredited by the Global Federation of Sanctuaries, BCR boasts the world’s largest and most diverse assembly of rescued cats include over one dozen different species of cats, including tigers, lions, leopards, cougars, bobcats, servals, lynx, and ocelots. 

In honor of National Wildlife Week, Patch spoke to Jeff Kremer, director of donor appreciation.

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Jeff landed at BCR after years in the aerospace industry. His first job was as a volunteer. His passion soon landed him in a full-time staff position. As director of donor appreciation, Jeff is the link to the organization’s private and business donors. He spends many of his days spreading the charity’s mission and educating others on animal welfare.

Patch:  Where do most of the cats come from? 

Kremer: Most are coming from private homes; we call those owners "hoarders."  These people often breed for either ego, or novelty or money. Right now, with the exception of three of our mountain lions, all of the other animals here right now are former pets.  We have had many cats came to us via drug den raids.  Law enforcement find these animals chained to walls and then they eventually come to us. 

Patch:  Many of the cats are living in solitude.  Don’t they like to interact with one another?

Kremer:  If a cat comes to us by him or herself – and most do – there is a 99 percent chance they will remain by themselves.  Except for lions – who live in a pride out in the wild – they actually are solitary animals, except for the lions.  Nature tells them, you come together and make a family.  You teach the family how to hunt and survive for themselves and they they go off as individuals to do just that.  That’s their circle of life. On the other hand, if any of the cats come to us with another rescue, we try to keep them together. 

Patch:  How do they adjust to the extreme temperature changes? 

Kremer:  The cooler, the better!  It was thirty degrees one evening last month and they were swimming and frolicking – as happy as can be. 

As far as the summers go, most of the time they just lay around.  The property is heavily forested so there is a lot of shade and all of the tigers have small water pools that they can swim in. 

Each of them has their own enclosures as well, which protects them from heavy rain and sun.  Our smallest is about the size of an average house and the largest is approximately  three acres large.

Patch:  How are the cats categorized?

Kremer:  Greater cats – which includes lions, tigers, leopards and jaguars – can roar, their offspring are called ‘cubs’, and their pupils are rounder. 

Lesser cats purr, their offspring are ‘kittens’ and their pupils are more elliptical-shaped.  These include all other cat species including house cats.

Patch:  How do you treat injured cats that come to you?

Kremer:  We have a rehabilitation program and our staff is fully trained in tending to cats who come to us with a variety of injuries, whether they’ve been hit by a car or a hunter has shot and killed their parents.  These cats have not been human imprinted – imprinting is when animals have been around people such as circus animals – and we have the opportunity to rehabilitate them and put them back out in the wild. 

Patch:  What does their diet consist of?

Kremer:  We go through 550 pounds of meat per day.  This includes a combination of U.S.D.A red beef and chicken quarters.  They also receive the zoological carnivore diet, which looks similar to ground-up hamburger and consists of the entire animal, including bones, organs and intestines, and that’s how they get most of their protein. Because their diets are so strict and regulated, we never accept “donated” meat in case it’s tainted.  They are fed six evenings a week and fast on Sundays. Each of them also receives monthly flea & tick treatments. 

Patch:  What is the average life span of one of the cats?

Kremer:  Those who live in the wild may live 8-12 years.  The cats here live 15-20 years.  It’s a combination of no predators, the very best food and a great medical plan. Our oldest cat is a tiger named Flavio, who is going to be 22 years old. 

Patch:  What is the annual cost to talk care of one single cat?

Kremer:  It depends on the situation and their species and age, but on average, it costs about between $5,000-$6,000 a year to care for one lion or tiger.  This includes their food, medical care and cage maintenance.  (And does not include any operating or overhead costs.) 

Patch:  Tell us about your intern program.

Kremer:  Our interns live on site (for free) and work six days a week without any salary.  They do everything a volunteer would do – cleaning, giving tours, property maintenance – but they’re on the ‘fast track’ since they are working almost every day of the week for three months.  Most of our interns are college students looking to obtain a degree in either biology, zoology, or wildlife management.  We have been very fortunate that the program has grown and become popular since we only have eight paid staff employees. 

Tours are offered every day of the week EXCEPT THURSDAY.  Choose from adult-only tours, children-specific tours, night tours, private tours, observation tours and more.  Call 813-920-4130 or log onto www.bigcatrescue.org for times, admission fees, age restrictions, reservations, and more.

The sanctuary hosts special events, weddings, and educational programs throughout the year.  Call or email info@BigCatRescue.org for more information.  Sponsorships are also available and donations can be mailed to: 12802 Easy Street – Tampa, FL  33625.

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