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BIG CAT RESCUE’S BIG CAT TIMSPRINEG 20S17 2017 1992 25 YEARS BIGCATRESCUE.ORG NIRVANA - OCELOT into the wild. Just a few weeks following her return home we answered the call to take in two new bobcats into our rehabilitation program. One an orphaned kitten, the other a youngster who was hit by a car and rescued by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Department. These two bobcats will be the first to be rehabilitated in our Big Cat Rescue, one of brand new Bobcat Rehabilitation the world’s most effective A MESSAGE FROM BCR Center. accredited sanctuaries for PRESIDENT & EDITOR exotic cats, is a leading The Big Cat Public Safety Act advocate in ending the abuse Jamie Veronica has been reintroduced and we of captive big cats and saving wild cats from extinction. We The busy holiday season is behind need your help to champion this are home to over 70 lions, us, but things have not slowed bill! Calling your representative tigers, bobcats, cougars, down at Big Cat Rescue. and requesting support for this important piece of legislation is servals and other species of exotic cats, most of whom Check out the awesome rescue the single most important thing have been abandoned, story of 5 new tigers; Gabrielle, that you can do to help all of the abused, orphaned, saved Seth, Priya, Andy and Charaka big cats in captivity. Get all of the from the fur trade, or retired who were part of the largest big details on page 22. You can also from performing acts. cat rescue in U.S. history. These help spread the word by posting majestic big cats spent a lifetime the centerfold of this issue in a The sanctuary, located on 67 of exploitation in inadequate breakroom, office, classroom, etc. acres in the Citrus Park area of living conditions. Now, thanks north Tampa, was founded in to you they have a new life filled Big Cat Rescue interacts with 1992 and is a 501c3 charity. with comfort, happiness and love. millions of people through a variety of social media outlets. Big Cat Rescue is accredited Spirit Feather an orphaned wild You can only imagine the number by the Global Federation bobcat has been released back of questions our staff answer on a daily basis. Some questions of Sanctuaries, certified by are asked more frequently Independent Charities of than others, so we are going to America as a “Best in America dedicate an article in each issue to Charity”, rated 4 Stars by answer those burning questions. Charity Navigator, and is part In this issue we explain how the of a global coalition including cats get their names. HSUS, IFAW, WWF, GFAS, Born Free and other animal There is so much more to read in protection groups working this issue of the Big Cat Times, so together to end big cat abuse. go ahead, dig your claws in and devour it! Read more about Big Cat Rescue and the cats who call it home at: BigCatRescue.org Scan QR Codes in this issue with your smart Tour Info: phone to get more info. BigCatRescue.org/Tickets 2 BIG CAT TIMES - SPRING 2017 - BIGCATRESCUE.ORG LARGEST BIG CAT RESCUE IN U.S. HISTORY ACCREDITED SANCTUARIES UNITE Karen and Nick Sculac started Big the country. For over a decade the appeared to have trouble breathing, Cats of Serenity Springs on 320 Serenity Springs Wildlife Center and was bleeding from his nose and acres near Calhan, CO in 1993 with violated the animal welfare act and mouth. He was discovered dead the the intent to breed and sell big cats. endangered the public, but no real following morning. However, after the rescue of 12 action was taken to end the suffering tigers in 1995 they announced that of the animals. An employee was mauled by two they were going to be a sanctuary tigers named Duke and Merlin. Both instead of a breeding center. Horrifying allegations and citations tigers were later shot and killed. were made against Sculac over the Nick Sculac had a long history of years, a few of which included: Several animals were found frozen to breaking the law and was charged death over the years including three with theft on multiple occasions Sculac, who has no veterinary tigers and a cougar cub. between 1984 - 2002. In 2009 Sculac training, diagnosed a tiger as having bilked a former volunteer, who had cancer. He unsuccessfully attempted The U.S. Department of Agriculture been mauled by a tiger, out of to inject her with euthanasia solution, cited Serenity Springs for eleven $40,500 claiming that sanctuary before ultimately killing her with a inadequate cages, which held a total would be shut down and the knife. of twenty-two animals. This was a animals killed. In 2010 Sculac was repeat violation from inspections sentenced to 6 months in a halfway A leopard and her cage mate conducted on twenty-two separate house following his third felony theft died tragically after the female occasions. The violations included conviction. was observed in distress. Sculac numerous cages with protruding incorrectly diagnosed her as being nails, shredded and splintered Financial strain over the years meant in labor and failed to contact the wood, and broken wires with sharp selling off much of the land until the veterinarian. The leopard was protruding edges. sanctuary was decreased to just 11 discovered dead an hour later acres housing 140 exotic animals. but not removed from the cage. In 2012 USDA sued Sculac and The following morning, the male Serenity Springs citing chronic and After the passing of Karen, Nick leopard was lying on top of the egregious violations of the animal Sculac remarried and changed the female, vocalizing and in distress, welfare act. Three years later USDA name of the operation to Serenity whereupon Sculac administered sued Nick Sculac again. Neither Springs Wildlife Center. The facility tranquilizers to the male leopard lawsuit was ever completed. morphed from a sanctuary for big and affixed a noose around his neck cats in need to a breeding center to remove him from atop the dead It seemed that the abuse and over churning out a never ending supply female leopard. Sculac then injected breeding would continue on forever. of cubs for profit by way of photo the male leopard with a reversal That was until Sculac was diagnosed ops. Cubs were also purchased from drug, and removed the noose. The with cancer. other known animal abusers across male leopard entered the shelter, BIGCATTV.COM - SPRING 2017 - BIG CAT TIMES 3 Sculac and his wife sold Serenity transferred to other facilities with Springs Wildlife Center and all of similar operations. its animals to Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge who partnered with When Gabrielle arrived at Big Cat Tigers In America. Turpentine Creek Rescue she was separated from Wildlife Refuge, Tigers In America, Seth. A few weeks after her arrival and several accredited sanctuaries she was scheduled to be sedated for across the United States, including an exam and to be spayed. Big Cat Rescue, worked together over the course of 4 months to re- It was our intention to reunite home 110 animals, 75 of which were Gabrielle with Seth once she tigers. This rescue operation would recovered from her surgery. We become the largest big cat rescue in housed the pair in neighboring U.S. history and highlights the dire enclosures so they could remain need for more effective legislation. close during their separation. However, Gabrielle absolutely hated The facility was in shambles. Cages Seth. She completely avoided the were in desperate need of repair. side of her enclosure nearest to him. Overcrowding made it impossible to Photo by Brittany Mira Anytime she would even see Seth shift cats so their filthy cages could next door she would roar and charge be cleaned and rid of dangerous at him to keep him away. materials. Wooden pallets had been GABRIELLE shredded and used as flooring in 20 YEARS OLD In general big cats are solitary so the desolate cages. Metal nails and Gabrielle’s insistence on being staples from the pallets were not Gabrielle’s story can be traced back housed alone was not unusual. even removed leaving a plethora of to a private collection of big cats Gabrielle was given her own large sharp rusty debris. at a facility called Wesa-a-geh-ya natural enclosure all to herself. in Warrenton, MO. The owners of Because Gabrielle would not be Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge the facility forfeited their license to housed with Seth the vet team moved several of their staff to the keep exotic animals when faced with decided against spaying her. At property to make necessary repairs multiple animal welfare violations in her age an invasive procedure such to enclosures as well as to remove addition to financial strain. Gabrielle as being spayed would be hard dangerous ground cover. They was transferred to Serenity Springs to overcome and would not be a cared for the animals providing them in 2008 at the age of 11 along with necessity as she would be living a healthy diet, enrichment and toys, her mate, a male tiger named Zeus. alone. and veterinary care until each one Zeus was euthanized two years later. was transported to their new homes. Gabrielle was then moved into an Gabrielle was the most timid of the enclosure with another resident group when she first arrived, but Big Cat Rescue took in 5 tigers from named Seth for the purpose of has since blossomed into a healthy Serenity Springs; Gabrielle, Seth, breeding. Their cubs were used happy tigress.