2012-09-24 Carole Diary

Carole Baskins Diary

What Makes Big Cat Rescue the Cat's Pajamas?

Big Cat Rescue is the largest accredited sanctuary in the world dedicated entirely to abused and abandoned big cats. The nonprofit sanctuary began in 1992 and is home to more than 100 exotic big cats. The cats at Big Cat Rescue are here for a variety of reasons, including:

• Abandoned by owners who wrongly thought they would make good pets

• Abused by owners in order to force them to perform

• Retired from performing acts

• Saved from being slaughtered to make fur coats

• Rescued as babies after hunters killed their mothers

Big Cat Rescue has many species of cats, many of whom are threatened, endangered or extinct now in the wild, including: Tigers, Lions, Leopards, Cougars, Bobcats, Lynx, Servals, Ocelots, Caracals

Big Cat Rescue’s mission is to provide the best possible home for the animals in our care and try to stop the flow of exotic cats needing sanctuary by educating the public about the plight of the animals and supporting stronger laws to protect them. This award winning sanctuary is situated on 55 acres in the Citrus Park area of north Tampa. Our IRS Federal ID# is 59-3330495. Our 990s are available online at GuideStar.org with a complete breakdown of how your donations are spent.

We are:

• Accredited by the Global Federation of Sanctuaries

• Certified by Independent Charities of America as a “Best in America Charity”

• A Member of the World Society for Protection of Animals

• Rated 4 Stars by Charity Navigator (their highest rating) and has the highest score of any animal based charity

The high profile good that is being done by Big Cat Rescue has inspired awards such as:

PC Magazine Names Big Cat Rescue in Top 12 Favorite Charities 2011

Big Cat Rescue, which takes in retired circus lions and tigers, also rescues other big cats from people who tried to keep them as pets, and otherwise offers sanctuary to large cats that are not eligible for release into the wild. It’s focused on educating people about the unsuitability of the animals as pets, working toward passing laws against roadside zoos, and shutting down breeding programs like the exotic pet trade. They also take in injured wild cats and rehabilitate them for release. The group has a video cam set up in the sanctuary, and they regularly post videos of the big cats. The cats eat a massive amount every day, naturally, so Big Cat Rescue relies on donations and paid tour groups to support them.—Arielle Rochette PC Magazine

Thanks to all of you who voted for Big Cat Rescue, we won the People’s Choice Award at the WEDU Be More Awards! Big Cat Rescue won against 90 contenders for the People’s Choice Award. WEDU has a viewing audience that includes 16 central Florida counties. Big Cat Rescue has won this award three years in a row, validating to us that many of your share our vision.

2011 Winner in Toyota’s 100 Cars for Good Big Cat Rescue was given a beautiful Toyota Tundra for being the top voted charity during their competition week.

9/2/2011 The Tampa Bay Business Journal awarded Big Cat Rescue in 3 categories: Best Black Tie Event Favorite Retreat and Team Building Venue and Second Best Fundraiser

With awards and recognition like these Big Cat Rescue has enjoyed the support of celebrities from all walks of life. They have either visited, donated, helped further our mission or have done all three! A few you might know are:

Animal Planet’s Ms. Adventure, Jane Goodall, Bill Murphy, County Commissioners, Congresswoman Castor, NY Yankees, Sue Zelenko, Arch Deal, Tim Harrison, Jethro Tull, 2008 Pageant Queens, Bo Derek, Tippi Hedren, Tampabay Bucs, Harrison Ford, The Lightning, Kate Walsh, Jim Fowler, Paul Parmar, Jack Hanna, Doug Williams, 717 South, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Harris, Hell’s Kitchen, Mary Poppins, Jersey Boys, Barbara Niven, Donna Vivino of Wicked, & Chadd & Kristi

The sanctuary receives no government support and relies on its educational activities, such as tours of the facility, and the generosity of donors for support of the cats. Donations are tax deductible. Because non program expenses (i.e. administration and fundraising) are funded from tour income, 100% of your donations go directly to support the cats.

Use of technology, which not only saves time, increases our ability to track a multitude of things and improve the health checkups the cats get by updating that information on a daily basis.

Hi, I’m Carole Baskin and I’ve been writing my story since I was able to write, but when the media goes to share it, they only choose the parts that fit their idea of what will generate views. If I'm going to share my story, it should be the whole story. The titles are the dates things happened. If you have any interest in who I really am please start at the beginning of this playlist: http://savethecats.org/

I know there will be people who take things out of context and try to use them to validate their own misconception, but you have access to the whole story. My hope is that others will recognize themselves in my words and have the strength to do what is right for themselves and our shared planet.

You can help feed the cats at no cost to you using Amazon Smile!

Visit BigCatRescue.org/Amazon-smile

You can see photos, videos and more, updated daily at BigCatRescue.org

Check out our main channel at YouTube.com/BigCatRescue

Music (if any) from Epidemic Sound (http://www.epidemicsound.com) This video is for entertainment purposes only and is my opinion.