Some shots from the Carolina Tiger Rescue (which has many big cats, not just tigers)



This felt sort of like entering Jurassic Park















Best cat tree ever!









More pics coming!

6/25/2011 7:40:02 PM

Not done yet.

6/25/2011 7:46:58 PM

I used to intern there.


Levra

http://youtu.be/K7mnylxGg58
Avalon the talking leopard (she said "hey") ... please ignore the fact that I sound 10 years old

6/25/2011 8:13:56 PM

^Cool

Here's Jelly Bean:











The noms come from the bag and he knows it:

6/25/2011 8:18:11 PM

6/25/2011 8:22:01 PM

That's cool. I didn't even know we had such a place in NC. I bet they feel right at home in this summer heat

6/25/2011 8:23:24 PM

That looks awesome. I sense a tour in the near future.

6/25/2011 8:27:26 PM

I miss Jelly Bean and Tex... But I especially miss Lucky.



And to be nostalgic...


Magoo


Romeo (the tiger that was on Tosh.0)


Tex


wolfpack - some days it was actually really hard for them... we would go around with this giant water tank (supplied by the older man in Supplanter's pics) and just spray them down so they could cool off :\ But typically they seemed to do pretty well with it - and they were really lazy

[Edited on June 25, 2011 at 8:28 PM. Reason : man, this thread takes me back - I remember chucking chickens to them ]

6/25/2011 8:28:03 PM

when did the name change from CPT?

6/25/2011 8:31:55 PM

Quote :

"That's cool. I didn't even know we had such a place in NC. I bet they feel right at home in this summer heat "

Yeah, this place was pretty awesome. Its not as designed for viewing as a zoo would be. Especially when the cats have an acre or more of land, there is no guarantee you'll see them. But the food definitely lured several of them up close. And some of them were having their cages cleaned so they were in the smaller compartments which made them easier to see. They said this place, being a rescue, has cats that other places couldn't afford to take care of, or that were injured or their coloration wasn't perfect so they weren't kept as display animals, or rescued from people who tried to keep them as pets even though it was bad for them (& sometimes injurious for the owners - apparently having big cats are a status symbol in Texas & lots of the mistreated ones are there).

Lucky:









Lucky's original owner gave him baby food as a youngster, and he still loves it to this day:





He was definitely the most social cat there, the guides didn't put their hands this close to any of the other cats... and when they pressed against the fence they could move it a good ways... and the small cats would stick their arms right through the holes sometimes.











That's all of my cat pictures (well not truly all, but it gets redundant to repost more pics of the same cats & I'm already posting a lot).

6/25/2011 8:32:18 PM

One of the ocelots got my arm good one day... and that same ocelot caused a girl to get stitches on her hand -.o They're feisty.

Romeo's story was always my favorite. He was owned by a drug dealer and was confiscated. A few months later the owner came back to get him, so the (then) owner of CPT gave him a leash and said he could have him if he could walk him back up the compound. Keep in mind Romeo was confiscated at 6 months old and by the time the owner came back for him, he was over 200 pounds I believe. The owner came back with an empty leash.

6/25/2011 8:35:19 PM

Quote :

"apparently having big cats are a status symbol in Texas"

wtf. What's wrong with people in Texas

6/25/2011 8:40:06 PM

Quote :

"when did the name change from CPT?"

According to their website they were CERI in the 70s, CPT from the 80s to 2000s, and have been CTR since '09. From their site:

Quote :

"In 2009, the organization changed its name to Carolina Tiger Rescue, reflecting its new mission and focus. Today, Carolina Tiger Rescue is a 501(c)3 nonprofit wildcat sanctuary, whose mission is saving and protecting wildcats in captivity and in the wild. Carolina Tiger Rescue pursues its mission by providing lifelong homes to wildcats in need of rescue and educating the public about what threatens these animals: in the wild, in the pet trade, and in the entertainment industry."

Here's the website if anyone's interested in more info, or tour info or whatever:

http://www.carolinatigerrescue.org/default.asp

Those pics were from the $14 tour. I also got a few shots from downtown Pittsboro since we were already in the area.









A store cat that was hanging out in the window display, trying to get attention and to get petted (it was successful both at getting attention and luring in many potential customers to the store). It was a nice tie-in to a cat themed day.

6/25/2011 8:42:36 PM

Aww, that cat looks like my kitty

6/25/2011 8:47:46 PM

I'd also add that the S & T Soda Shoppe had great food and desserts and is worth trying if you're in the Pittsboro area for any reason.

6/25/2011 8:50:27 PM

Nice pics I used to volunteer out there when it was CPT. Helped to build the first big fence around the compound (after some moron decided hunting tigers in a cage was awesome and put an arrow in one).

Do you have any pics of the 3-legged black jaguar(?)...he may not be around anymore but I always loved him. My black cat only has 3 legs as well and I told her she should look up to him

6/25/2011 8:50:52 PM

I was told there was a 3 legged cat in one of the areas we went by, but that cat didn't come out to visit anyone. I don't recall what kind it was though. I got some pics of some other tigers too, but didn't post them because they didn't come up for close ups like Lucky did.

Lucky and Jelly Bean were probably the highlights of the tour in terms friendliness and liking the attention and getting their pictures taken. They both, but Lucky especially liked to chuffle at everyone (I don't know if I'm spelling that right, but its the friendly greeting sound they make).

6/25/2011 9:03:50 PM

I volunteered there in middle school once with the wildlife club from east cary middle school.

That's a really special place. I've never been so terrified walking somewhere as that place after the warnings all the guides give you and the actions they tell you to take if you see a tiger get loose. We were building a new cage and cleaning up debris, IIRC. God I was a wuss then, I couldn't even properly work the little tools you used to clip two segments of fencing together. Fucking things hurt your hands too.

It looks like they're doing well, though. I remember seeing romeo. I believe he sprayed his musk all over our guide and we, being little kids pretty much, ran away and made noise despite the fact that they told us not to run away and make noise. But seriously, we're not about to get pissed on by a huge fucking tiger, FTS.

6/25/2011 9:07:23 PM

Last time I went was my junior year of high school volunteering. We got to give them paper mache balloons filled with hay, dead mice, and cat nip. Drunk carnivores are freaking hilarious.

Why didn't you bring me? D:

6/25/2011 9:12:35 PM

They told us if you see any cat about to spray, don't try to outrun it, it can go up to 20 feet or something like that. Instead they said step sideways quickly.

I also heard a story about someone who worked or volunteered there working with a cat that was sedated, but it work up early. Apparently they had to quickly go to a human cage in the middle of the place and wait a good while to be let out once it was safe.

^They did have some cool toys. The smaller cats all seemed to have tree houses, and they had boxes and balls, there was one toy that was completely destroyed that the guide was telling us about but I couldn't tell what it used to be, and some were playing with their chickens. They said they get free chickens from a plant that prepares them for human consumption but some fall off the assembly line or something, and while they wouldn't work for humans, the big cats can easily digest raw chickens that are a little dirty. They said they get a good bit of their calcium that way from eating the bones.

[Edited on June 25, 2011 at 9:16 PM. Reason : .]

6/25/2011 9:13:02 PM

I wish they would break out and fuck yalls shit up.

6/25/2011 9:15:23 PM

Heh, yeah, most people try to run backwards. One step to the side is fine... or step behind your friend

Sheesh, that would be terrifying. The fences have a lot of give, too, as tigers could easily pounce and knock the thing over if it was rigid. They're nearly 8 ft tall standing up, it's scary.
We just lobbed everything over the fences, it seemed much safer.

6/25/2011 9:17:37 PM

^They had big plastic tubes built into all the fences to slide the food in from a safe distance in the ones I saw today (except for the meat treats which were stuck on the ends of sticks that they could give to them from a distance). Also, not only did they have cat houses inside the various areas, but they said they heated those houses during the winter. And they had small fenced off areas they could lure the cats into and lock them up during the cage cleanings. They also had fenced in roof tops over all the small cat cages that might be able to climb them. It all seemed very well thought out.

6/25/2011 9:24:56 PM

Quote :

"They said they get free chickens from a plant that prepares them for human consumption but some fall off the assembly line or something, and while they wouldn't work for humans, the big cats can easily digest raw chickens that are a little dirty. They said they get a good bit of their calcium that way from eating the bones."

Yep. I used to work on a chicken farm in the hatchery. All the culled chicks we would kill and freeze. They would grind them up and sell them to pet food companies. So when you see chicken meal as an ingredient in pet food, that's most likely what it is

6/25/2011 9:35:33 PM

I don't see why people were so freaked out about the tiger spray - it smells like buttered popcorn (Jelly got me one day).


As for the 3 legged black spotted leopard, that was Disraeli. He died in spring 2007 iirc... he was very neat. Shared an enclosure with Avalon (the talking leopard I posted above).


I remember the day they trained us on how to use the tranquilizer rifles in case a tiger got out. It was a little and COOOOOOL at the same time.


And yes, the chickens are donated from a plant a few miles down the road. We had to get there early unless we wanted to cut up chickens with black tar-like stuff on them (which marked that they had either been dropped or were too big/small). Cutting up the chickens was one of the least fun parts.

[Edited on June 25, 2011 at 9:38 PM. Reason : .]

6/25/2011 9:37:05 PM

I think you get used to it after awhile though. I remember the first time I killed some chickens I was all but after a few weeks I was

6/25/2011 9:39:56 PM

The only times I truly hated it was when you would cut off one of the necks and get splattered with half-digested chicken feed. -.o But I did like cutting off the breasts for the diabetic cats - I know that sounds weird

Oh and I just want to say I built one of the enclosure's set of platforms and walking beams for my project *proud*

6/25/2011 9:41:52 PM

Just think Sam, when the zombie apocalypse comes your chicken butchering skills will be in high demand

6/25/2011 9:43:16 PM

hahahaha truth and I'll be able to build a shack for survival

6/25/2011 9:44:26 PM

Thanks to y'all who have volunteered/interned/built stuff there. It was an awesome family outing, and its nice to think that the big cats that need rescuing have a place like this to go to. (I did my part by buying an over priced shirt, although not as over priced as the one I got at the Duke Lemur Center earlier this week)

6/25/2011 9:51:50 PM

cool pics! i volunteered once when it was CPT (back in '03 or '04, i think) and now you have inspired me to go back!

6/25/2011 10:25:28 PM

how much for an ocelot?

6/25/2011 10:34:19 PM

theres a similar place about 20 minutes from Charlotte called Tiger World

http://www.tigerworld.us/

6/25/2011 10:43:20 PM

A Tanzarian - That looks awesome. I sense a tour in the near future.

yuffie_chan - Why didn't you bring me?

Meg - cool pics! i volunteered once when it was CPT (back in '03 or '04, i think) and now you have inspired me to go back!


Y'all should totally make a tdub date to go to the cat place.


This was the image that showed up as a broken link before. I forgot the = symbol in img src=

6/25/2011 10:59:53 PM

i want the white tiger. so pretty!

6/25/2011 11:06:17 PM

A few more pics from today taken by someone else in my party that were just uploaded:

6/25/2011 11:28:58 PM

I went to school in Pittsboro, yet, I have never been here. Had many friends that volunteered/worked there.

And yes, S&T's is awesome. Just get a Haw River dessert - no dinner needed

6/26/2011 10:39:03 AM

lol i was there once and these teenage girls got sprayed in the face

i saw it coming and backed the hell up and saved myself

6/26/2011 10:52:40 AM

Romeo was the master... he even had a tree that was debarked in one spot from spraying it so much

6/26/2011 11:06:50 AM

I used to do service projects all the time there with aielman, mrfrog, fredbot3000 and a few others. It was always a lot of fun...minus the horrendous poison ivy.

We once stayed for about six hours and they let us drive the truck around tossing chickens to all the big cats.

6/26/2011 12:08:23 PM

the time i went was with all of the above ^

good times

6/26/2011 12:29:00 PM

i want to go on the twilight tour here and i would totally have sex with whoever took me on a date there

YES I WOULD

6/26/2011 12:43:35 PM

ive always wanted to go on the twilight tour! seems like it'd be fun.

6/26/2011 12:44:22 PM

6/26/2011 12:48:36 PM

^ OH MY GOSH I LOVE THAT!!!!! hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

that rules

6/26/2011 1:10:31 PM