Last summer, we took our sons to visit the Carolina Tiger Rescue, a nonprofit wildlife sanctuary. Their mission is to work toward a day when all wild cats live in a sustainable, native environment, and, when that is not possible, to rescue wild cats in captivity from bad situations, to provide them with lifelong sanctuary where they will be treated humanely and with respect, and to educate the public about their plight.
In addition to tigers, they currently provide homes for lions, cougars, caracals, servals, ocelots, bobcats, binturongs, kinkajous, and black leopards. Many of the cats were saved from misguided people who often mistreated them while forcing them to perform or trying to keep them as pets. We were deeply affected by the cats we met there, their stories, and the people who are working so hard to save wild cats in captivity and in the wild.
If you’d like to learn more about the rescue or the cats who live there (and see some much better pictures than my few snap shots), click on the hyper link above or visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/#!/CarolinaTigerRescue
They discovered Nitro was blind shortly after they took him in, so they made him sanded paths and scent-marked his water bowl.
Rajaji – before our tour guide coaxed him to come say hello to the group.
Rajaji and our guide, demonstrating how just a scent sprayed on a bit of cardboard can entertain a tiger.
I think it was something by Calvin Klein and he really liked it.
Albert, the kinkajou. Our tour guide just fed him some honey and he was still licking the fence.
Coda, the binturong, waiting for the banana he knows is in our guide’s pocket.
Magoo, the ocelot.
Jelly Bean was given up by a zoo that considered him a “surplus” cub.
Jelly Bean has enormous paws (but no claws).
Jelly Bean relaxing in front of his admiring fans.
Nitro again. He really seemed to like visiting with the group.
Lucky liked Gerber’s baby food.
