It is the small things that remind us that we are truly making a difference. It's wonderful to know that the tigers have had this tire for at least a month and a half, but they still find it interesting. Thank you to the donor who made these tires possible and thank you Katie for capturing this moment.
I wanted to take a moment to say thank you to all of the wonderful people who have brought in donations to help with enrichment and getting the animals ready for winter. The support has made a huge difference and is truly appreciated. Also, I would like to thank our staff and volunteers for all of the hard work and sincere effort that they are putting forth right now. We are all enjoying all of the positive change and the team work.
It is a new beginning and we are off to a wonderful start with the great advice that we are receiving from others and all of the words of encouragement, we are looking forward to a bright future.
Here are some of our lions in action (Sheba, Tarzan, and Sebastian) who are interested in some fresh hay we added into their den in their enclosure (completely ignoring the hanging barrel we had just placed inside). Sebastian- our huge male lion- runs off with a mouthful of hay in his mouth and lays down and licks it like his own personal blanky. Pretty funny!
FUN FACT: Why do our males not have manes? In the wild, the male lion's mane is used to attract the females.
The bigger the mane, the better chance of attracting a girl! Since our males are fixed, their bodies view the mane as an unnecessary accessory they are carrying around because they lack almost all of their testosterone and the ability to reproduce; therefore, they have no need to attract a female..... Lucky for Sebastian and Tarzan, they still have their lioness Sheba (who is definitely the boss in this small, lion pride) ;-).
So this is my first caretakers blog! Exciting! I'll keep it short and sweet! I want to thank everyone who has shown so much support to the orphanage! Everyone here is working extra hard for our New Beginning! We started the big cats on a new diet specifically made for them and they are loving it! The primates are loving the new toys and even the kittens in the office are more active than ever. All we can do now is let the good times roll, keep up the hard work and keep our chins up! We, as a team, are strong, fierce animal protectors and don't forget it! Stop by and meet the staff who are making a difference!
Boris is lonely. He so wants a larger cage. I am hopeful in the next few weeks, and month or two at most, we have the donations to help him have a higher quality of life than spending it in a concrete cage.
How about it, can you help? He loves his pool, and the branchs he gets to eat and play with. He loves to strip them into little pieces and make a bed. He needs a real bear pad, someplace that is uniquely his.
