Deworming and Vitamins

Medical care is not just treatment of illness, but also prevention of illness. Like domestic cats and dogs, we deworm the animals at Carolina Tiger Rescue to prevent internal parasites. I've been sent on deworming runs a few times since being an intern, and here is the run-down:

For binturongs, we use a liquid dewormer that is injected into a mouse or a banana (no living prey of course). Because binturongs are also carnivores, we use mice because it is a welcome treat. However, because bananas are a binturongs favorite fruit in the whole world, we like to give them options.

The dewormer is measured based on the weight of the binturong and administered once monthly. Deworming is also a good time to monitor the health and behavior of the individual animal, and a great time to have a little visit and give them some attention.

We also use liquid vitamins once a week for our cats. These liquid vitamins are injected into chicken once a week for each cat depending on size. In the wild, carnivores consume a variety of prey and absorb their vitamins and minerals from consuming the intestines or blood supply of their prey. While we offer our cats a whole carcass diet, the chickens we receive from the processing plant do not completely cover the nutrient needs met in the wild. Our cats are not traveling as they would in the wild, so additional nutrients absorbed from the dirt or grass (exotic cats will eat grass too) is not really accomplished in captivity. The vitamins provide those necessary and vital organic compounds for physiological function. A lot of zoos and sanctuaries do not feed whole diets- meaning they do not offer bone or instead of real meat use commercial kibble diets. While commercial diets may be USDA approved, the whole carcass diet most closely resembles a diet in the wild because carnivores need to consume bone and internal organs in addition to meat to get vitamins such as calcium and taurine. This is why exotic cats make poor pets- it is difficult to meet their nutritional needs. Domestic cats are adapted to commercial kibble diets, and exotic cats are not the same in their dietary needs.

Injecting a whole chicken with liquid vitamins for one of our tigers with volunteer Robin Thomson.

See Lucky Run

Although Carolina Tiger Rescue strongly opposes the owning of exotic animals as pets, we do not ignore that these cats can also be a lot of fun to interact with. Because the majority of our animals come from situations where they were raised by humans, a lot of the animals at Carolina Tiger Rescue are social and enjoy human-animal interaction (with a fence between them, always). This is called protected contact. A lot of zoos are switching from a method called free contact (where animals keepers work alongside animals to clean, feed, etc) to protected contact to avoid injury or worse (think of cleaning an elephant's foot, the danger of working with raptors, or being mauled by large predator... not fun). Carolina Tiger Rescue takes every precaution to ensure happy lives for both animals and volunteers. That being said, we really enjoy visiting and interacting with these cats! If you haven't visited or volunteered, you definitely should so you can See Lucky Run. Lucky is one of our largest male tigers who was rescued from a private owner during a routine traffic stop (imagine your flashlight coming to rest on a fifty pound tiger cub in the backseat of a car). He lives with Carmelita Tiger and their enclosure has a shift that sits on a small hill. I discovered on accident in my first months as an intern that Lucky is a bit of a prankster. Always being careful when changing water, I almsot came out of my skin one day when out of nowhere a giant orange tiger throws himself against the fence. Once I re-learned how to breathe, good old Lucky was stalking me in true wiggle-butt fashion. Neither aggressive nor irritated, Lucky just wanted to play Hide and Seek.

Seriously.

One of my favorite pastimes while working as an intern has been to hide behind one of the metal shift doors and wait for Lucky to come careening down that hill to scare me. My response is to always jump up and pretend that I am found, or to jump up and yell "Boo!" When I yell at this tiger like he is a four year old, Lucky turns and sprints back up the hill because it is his turn to be scared. This could go on forever, but usually lasts around five minutes until Lucky gets winded and plops down by the fence (which is really good,  because if a tiger is winded, I'm probably ready for an oxygen tank). Lucky never tires of planning his next mock attack. The only way to get him to change his plans is if the food truck comes around, and since that only happens once a day, we settle for entertaining him as best we can.

I got lucky with this shot! No pun intended. We were playing hide and seek and I clicked the camera just as he came full speed.

Thoughts From the Intern

My internship with Carolina Tiger Rescue is almost over, and I am sad at the idea of leaving the amazing family of Carolina Tiger Rescue. I have benefited in so many ways through working here the last eight months, and in ways I never thought possible. I set extremely high standards for myself, and this means that I am constantly concerned that I am not doing my best or that I am not learning enough to be the best. I have done a lot of learning while at Carolina Tiger Rescue. For example, I have learned that throwing 15 lb chickens is extremely stressful when they get stuck at the top of the fence and you have a manic tiger ready to jump that fence in order to get to you or that chicken (whichever comes first). I have also learned that if something can go wrong, then it probably will. You will forget to shift a tiger, or you will spray water all over yourself in 25 degree F weather. You will also always be the girl to get a rack of ribs hooked at the top of the fence (this was last week). You will totally forget to keep up with logging your hours (oops),  and you will most definitely be at the bottom of the compound when you need the knife or shovel you left at the top. And you will absolutely leave work every day covered in chicken guts.

I've loved it.

This organization has really shown me how humans and animals can really be a family. While these animals ARE NOT pets and would most likely eat you given the chance, the bonds between the humans and animals here at Carolina Tiger Rescue are strong as well as inspiring. I've grown to know and love each of the animals we take care of, and it has been such a joy learning with them.

I remember being in middle school and going out to eat with friends and having to choose the table we sat at was stressful... I mean, how do you pick the right table for a group to sit at when you are 14? What if you end up in a crowded corner or you can't get away from that screaming baby? How do you decide that? While that seems like such a silly concept, I compare that young insecurity to the beginning of my internship. What if I mixed up the medication between cats? Will I always forget that stupid knife? Can I really go out and feed tigers all by myself? What if someone thinks my questions are silly? Being new to working with big cats was a little daunting at first because there is so much to learn. It's hard to be independent when you don't know what you're doing, and even more frustrating when you are chomping at the bit to catch up with those who already know so much. I've grown so independent in this internship: although I still forget that stupid knife sometimes, I rarely have to ask questions and I can make a lot of decisions easily and confidently. It's a really cool feeling to graduate to that level because you know you really are capable of taking care of these animals. Obviously skill comes with practice, but I didn't anticipate that this internship would make me feel so self-assured in all areas of my life. I can now pick the table to eat at with ease!

What won't be easy is leaving. I have no desire to leave any of the animals, but in particular the ones I've had bonding experiences with, from fence chats to near-misses of being clawed to watching animals recover from serious illnesses. I'll also desperately miss the insane and fun-loving staff and volunteers I've bonded with through these cats. As summer approaches, Carolina Tiger Rescue will be welcoming eight new interns, and although I'm jealous that they will be taking over, I'm confident that they too will learn and develop new passion and skills for these animals.

I plan to return for summer as a volunteer, so I'll be around pending I don't get accepted for some research assistant positions I've applied for. So in reality I'm not leaving yet, but my days of proudly boasting the Intern title are drawing to an end. I'm finishing my intern project and have more posts to put up here, so don't quit reading on me yet! There are plenty of funny stories as well as great pictures I'll be posting soon.

I'm graduating college in three weeks and I'm looking into the next steps for my career as a cat conservationist, but Carolina Tiger Rescue will always be home to me. Check back in the coming weeks for more photos and cool stories!

New Skills?

The new bobcat at Carolina Tiger has been trying to adjust for some time in his new environment... he just hasn't gotten used to his enormous enclosure yet, mostly due to the fact that his previous living conditions were about the size of a queen bed. Collins is pretty cool, however, and we hope that in time he will become less stressed and not pace so much. In preparation for making his new dig as cozy as possible, I spent some time on top of his thirty-some foot enclosure removing old shade tarps. The tarps were obviously useful at some point for shade form the hot North Carolina sun, but some of them have become thin and tattered and need to be replaced all over the compound. Tarp removal is just one of the many components of this internship, as captive management is not just about taking care of the animals themselves... you have to maintain the facility as well! This includes all sorts of unglamorous activity, of which I would consider climbing thirty feet on wobbly fence to be one of. However, I must have proved my ability at doing this, because through the close of winter I definitely became the tarp removal girl, and volunteers could see me doing all kinds of strange acrobatics on weekends removing torn and tattered tarps from the tops or sides of enclosures. I did have one interesting experience in which Ragsdale the caracal (who is a Level 3 on aggression... meaning that only keepers clean his enclosure because he is very fiesty) came and sat right below me on a particularly low part of the fence. Anyone who says these cats aren't smart is crazy, because I swear I saw the cogs in his head turning as he contemplated taking a bite out of my backside. Humor aside, managing enclosures in captivity is a constant chore, as there is always a need for replacing wood, updating doors and screws and hinges, and the obvious: making sure an animal cannot hurt himself or escape.

Websites of Interest

Check out these websites to learn about exotic cat conservation:

http://carolinatigerrescue.org/  I work here! It's a pretty snazzy place.

http://www.cheetah.org/?nd=home  I want to work here! Cheetahs are like the greyhound of the big cats.

http://www.panthera.org/  This organization does some cool stuff.

http://www.care2.com/click-to-donate/big-cats/  We click, big cat habitat is helped. It's free! Do this daily... can't hurt!

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/default.cfm?fonzref=index.htm  Have you visited our national zoo?


http://www.animalvoice.com/home.htm  I am working with Dr. Liz von Muggenthaler this summer on cheetah bio-acoustics.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?profile=1&id=11818011#!/group.php?gid=330346648179&ref=ts  This is a facebook group started by my Captive Animal Biology class to inform on current issues in conservation.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/17/cheetahs-make-a-miraculou_n_503035.html  Great news for the cheetah!

Don't forget that 2010 is the Year of the Tiger.... How can you get involved in tiger conservation? It all starts with getting informed: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/07/weekinreview/07marsh.html

Black Tie and Tails Ball

Carolina Tiger Rescue is a 501(c)3 nonprofit wildlife sanctuary whose mission is saving and protecting wild cats in captivity and in the wild. A 501(c)3 organization is one that does not run off of state or government funding, but that of donations and charitable giving. In an effort to support our greater than $750,000 annual budget, we host the Black Tie and Tails Ball every year to raise funds and awareness for the cats at Carolina Tiger Rescue.

Although this is not the only event we host, it is by far the largest and most talked about. Foremost, what a ton of fun! This year's third annual ball was hosted in Durham with the theme "Journey to India" in recognition and celebration of the history of tigers (it is, after all, the Year of the Tiger). It was a no-brainer that I was going to volunteer at this event, being that it easily combined two of my favorite things in the entire world: cats and fashion. What more could any young woman ask for than to contribute to the conservation of endangered cats and look awesome while doing it? If you haven't guessed, I am talking about saris! Saris are the beautiful Indian dresses worn by Indian women for centuries and the reason I am obsessed with Bollywood. Luckily,  I was able to borrow an authentic, traditional sari from a good friend so I would fit in for the night:

Practicing my swing on head curator Kathryn Burtok and development director Jennifer Brunk

My job for the evening was to greet guests in the traditional Indian fashion of being sprinkled with rose water. Careful to avoid silk, I had so much fun helping guests get excited for the silent and live auctions prepared for the evening. In the hour before dinner, guests bidded during the silent portion on various packages, events, and items donated for the cause. More than a few bidding competitions ensued, and everyone had a blast bidding and giving for the cats. During dinner, a traditional Indian dance group called the "Desi Girls" performed (please visit our facebook via the link at the top of the page for pictures of the entire evening), and afterwards the live auction began! The only experience I have with auctions is being able to talk as fast as the auctioneer, so I was on my toes working as a spotter for the bids flying around the room. From vacation getaways to hot air balloon rides to candlelit dinners in the garden at Carolina Tiger Rescue, our guests were amazing in their need to contribute to our animals. In addition to the auction items, we also raised money for our Fund A Cause, which was this year to raise $5000.00 for veterinary supplies and to help support our new part-time veterinarian Dr. Lassiter. With the doctor dragged on stage to help cheer on the bids, and with one non-bidding volunteer suddenly deciding to commit $1000, we raised over our mark!

The black tie event raised almost $20,000.00 for the animals at Carolina Tiger Rescue! Although I resisted the urge to buy, well, everything, I was blown away by the generosity of individuals who donated their vacation homes or services for our organization. A few individuals decided to offer their vacation homes for a weeklong vacation package in the middle of the auction! I was particularly fond of a few of the paintings commissioned by fans of our cats, and I plan to get back on track with my own paintings (perhaps next year you will see one of my own available during the event!). We were also lucky to have with us auctioneer Matt Holiday as well as NBC 17 news anchor Donald Jones (both are big fans of our animals!). The Indian-themed marketplace featured beautiful decor as well as games and picture opportunities for guests. One game included the purchase of a ticket for the chance to win one of three precious gems, while another offered prizes such as handmade locket and charm bracelet pieces with pictures of Carolina Tiger animals. Everyone looked great and had an amazing time contributing.

With the combined help of amazing staff and volunteers, sponsors, and the graciousness of our guests, we are able to care for the animals at Carolina Tiger Rescue! Thank you so much for supporting Carolina Tiger Rescue and for helping us have a blast with conservation!

The Desi Girls perform

Art and photography of our cats was auctioned during the event

Isabella Tiger

An entire month has come and gone without me saying a word about what's going on at Carolina Tiger Rescue! February is usually my favorite month because my birthday falls within those golden 28 days, but this past month has been pretty intense, as I've been pretty sick. Playing catch-up with school (and finally my blog!) has been nothing, however, to the bravery showed by Isabella Tiger:

Izzy came down with an intense urinary tract infection just before Christmas. She lost a lot of weight and muscle mass, and we were worried she would not pull through. Being an eighteen year old tigress means you aren't the pouncing hunter you once were, so Izzy's pulling through this intense infection was quite an accomplishment (especially since staff struggled to get medication into her system, as she wasn't eating. Darted antibiotics were used).

However, Izzy stopped eating about two weeks ago and lost even more muscle mass on her small, elderly frame. Keepers and staff scheduled a veterinary visit with new part-time veterinarian Dr. Lassiter. The expectation was that she might need to be humanely euthanized due to suspected kidney failure (from a combination of old age and constant medication with phenobarbital- the anti-seizure medication Izzy has been on her entire life). But, when the veterinarian and staff arrived at her enclosure on the day of the scheduled appointment, Izzy was up on her feet and happily greeting her guests with her usual enthusiasm. The diagnosis ruled out terminal illness at present, and with Izzy's condition stable, she is still on tour and awaits visits.

What this means: Izzy is by no means in great shape. She is an old lady! She wobbles a bit and eats the way anyone's 90 year old grandmother would: like a bird (or, in this case, she only eats one bird). However, with her medication and the watchful eyes of keepers and awesome volunteers, Izzy's health is stable and she is as social as ever. The issue remains, however, that she will get sick again and be unable to recover due to her conditions. We find at Carolina Tiger Rescue that these cats are built to NOT show wear and tear-- that is, we are sometimes unaware that a cat is not feeling well until they show us signs, and they may not do so for quite some time. These amazing predators do not show weakness well, as in the wild showing such weakness would result in possible predation from another stronger rival. Although we offer the best care possible in captivity for our rescued cats, old age and complications such as organ failure, cancer, or lifetime diseases and conditions (such as epilepsy) cannot be prevented. We work to treat these illnesses to the best of our ability, and Izzy remains a great example of how resilient these animals are in addition to what modern medicine provides.