White Tigers!

So white tigers are cute, right?

Or maybe not what they seem to be? How many of you have seen white tigers like this….

Most probably never. Welcome to the white tiger trade.

Zoo’s only ever let you see what they want you to see. The truth of the matter is white tigers are totally man made and should not exists to the extent they do now. White tigers can exist in the wild, the colouration is cause by a double recessive gene, but if a white tiger is born the mother will generally abandon or kill it, the mothers priority is the protection of herself and her other cubs and a white tiger would draw to much attention to them.
So it all started in the 1950’s when a white tiger cub was spotted in the wild and hunters saw this striking animal and saw mega dollar. The cub was captured and raised with the prospect of breeding. Once the cub became old enough, the breeding began. The tiger was bred continuously to orange tigers, however no white tigers ever came about. It was then that this tiger was inbred to relatives until eventually white cubs were born.
Yes, it is what you are thinking, every white tiger you see now originates from that one white tiger named Mohan. Its no wonder they are born with genetic defaults such as a cleft palate, cross eyes and deformed features. Did you know for every “perfect” white tiger born, about 40 orange tigers and 5 imperfect white tigers are also born, these are also known as ‘throw away tigers’. You may be thinking, so what happens to them? There are many answers to this, they could be neglected, fed on dog food and left in a tiny cage for the rest of their life, sold on to pet homes or put in canned hunts. For those of you who don’t know what a canned hunt is, the tiger is put into a cage and someone pays to shoot it. Yes I said it, the tiger is shot in a cage as a trophy. I don’t know if this makes there balls look big , but personally I cant see it.
An imperfect white tiger can only have brown stripes instead of black and will still face this uncertain future.
So why do you only see “perfect” white tigers? Think about it, why would any zoo want you to see what goes on behind the scenes, to see how unnatural these animals really are? But aren’t zoos meant to be conserving species? Maybe in this case, not. The white tiger is a classic example to show zoos are only a money making facility and generally don’t help the conservation of animals at all.

So next time you take a trip to the zoo, step back and think, should I really pay for this? Your money is helping edge this trade further and allowing this animals to suffer.

The life at BCR!

I am still new at this whole blog thing, and haven't blogged in some time, so i apologize if you suddenly get bombarded with posts.


Well, what a hectic summer it was! 
Going away for three months, not only to do something you love, but to grow as a person is one of the best decisions you can make. All good experiences come with bad, but thats how you learn from happenings and become the person you want to be.


Big Cat Rescue, what amazing work they are doing. Cats that faced such extraordinary cruelty were given a lifeline. Although they will spend the rest of their life in a cage, at least they will have the best life BCR can possibly offer. Carol Baskin, the founder of Big Cat Rescue, has dedicated her life to educating and trying to stop the exotic pet trade. This is something I am extremely proud to of been a part of.


So, I spent my summer cleaning up cat poop and looking after these beautiful animals. I bled, i sweated (beyond belief), i worked until i ached, but it was all worth it to see those animals escape such bad histories.
Along the way i met some amazing people, who made the experience just that even bit better. But as always there were the not so great people. For the few that understand, in particular i am referring to, a ding ding ding ding ding ding. But it is from those people you learn who you would never want to be.


I would like to take this opportunity to thank Big Cat Rescue, not only for doing all you do, but for allowing me to look after these cats, there is nothing more rewarding than working so hard and at the end of the day seeing a happy cat!


I spent my summer with amazing cats such as these...

And some pretty awesome people such as these....

YES, BE JEALOUS!!

Big Cat Rescue

So, I arrived into Florida yesterday at 5pm, 5 hours behind of English time. The temperature was a whooping 34 degrees! I was so nervous yet so excited to go to Big Cat Rescue! I was picked up from the airport by another intern called Jessica who drove me back to Big Cat Rescue, the grounds where the intern housing is at is stunning, there is a huge lake, where i watched the sunrise over this morning! The interns were all going out for pizza when i arrived, so i decided to join them which was a great way to get to know them a little better.
The best part of the intern housing is that there is a Tiger right outside! So amazing to wake up and see a Tiger walking alongside my housing!
I have not yet seen the grounds of Big Cat Rescue, where all the other cats are situated, but im now off for my first days work! Wish me luck!
I will post regularly to keep you all updated! :)

Internship

Hello all,
I have recently been offered an amazing opportunity at Big Cat Rescue, where i have been accepted to intern with them for 3 months! During this time i will be helping to look after and conserve the amazing Big Cats.
I will be out in Florida during this time taking part in day to day activities to look after the animals, including food preparation,  feeding the animals, cleaning enclosures, repairing enclosures, leading guided tours and much more. This internship is key to my future career where i hope to conserve and help these beautiful species.
It would mean everything to me if you would be able to support me and help me fund my trip to fulfil my dream of helping the Big cats.
Please show your support in sponsoring me through the donation button, via paypal.
I will blog regularly whilst im out there on how your money has helped me to conserve these cats!
Thankyou for all your support.

Living the dream

Harnas 2010
This really was one of the most amazing months of my life.
My journey began on 14th July 2010, not knowing what to expect i flew to Namibia where i stayed overnight at a hostel before being picked up early on the 16th for my travel to Harnas.
This place really was a dream come true, so amazing to see hand reared cheetahs, caracals, jackals being released slowly into the wild. Pride, a cheetah raised on the farm from a young cub is now successfully released into the lifeline, where she will continue to hunt until she is ready to be released into bushman land.
Closely following Pride is a beautiful cheetah called Duma, whilst i was volunteering Duma was in an enclosure fitted with a GPS collar awaiting release. She was the most beautiful, loving cheetah and its incredible to know she is now alongside Pride in the lifeline.

The interaction with the animals was incredible, it took some time to gain confidence with all the animals, but getting so close was awesome, especially knowing those animals will eventually be released back into the wild. The cheeky baboons, lazy lions and fiesty vervet monkeys really were amazing.

Harnas has teamed up with the bushman, educating them into the conservation of these animals, along with their help tracking the animals, it creates a perfect release sight for all animals suitable for rehabilitation and release. As well as a site for animals to become wild, it also provides jobs for those who wouldnt have them otherwise.

Harnas Wildlife Foundation is doing an amazing job, and i wish them and all volunteers the best of luck. This place really made me set my sights on what i want to do after my degree.
All i can say is "expect the unexpected".