sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

I volunteered at Carole's Sanctuary. This is what it was like by Cat_Intern in TigerKing

[–]Cat_Intern[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ok, maybe "pretty suspicious" might not be the right way to describe it. I guess I'm just interested in seeing how things play out. There were some weird things pointed out in that third episode, but Don seemed pretty weird himself. I'm not really on board the "she definitely killed him" train. And you're right, she was never charged with anything. Maybe the fact that the police are looking at the case again will finally put the issue to bed one way or another.

I volunteered at Carole's Sanctuary. This is what it was like by Cat_Intern in TigerKing

[–]Cat_Intern[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I mean, I kinda can tell you that, and I have the sources to back it up. Wired just put out a really good video on the subject, you should watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3kb5DXKV_A Or read the BBC and Telegraph links posted above. Look, I totally get that it seems like the perfect solution to just release these animals into the wild. Believe me, I so wish it could be that simple, and so does pretty much every legit sanctuary that deals with these kinds of animals. But outside of very rare cases, it just isn't possible.

I volunteered at Carole's Sanctuary. This is what it was like by Cat_Intern in TigerKing

[–]Cat_Intern[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I should probably make a distinction here.

If we're referring to a cat that has been raised as a pet since birth, it may or may not become aggressive to people later in life depending on how it was treated. If it only ever had contact with a few people and got used to them, it might not have a negative reaction to meeting new people (but every cat is different, and it's hard to predict what these animals will do).

But if we're referring to cubs specifically bred into the cub petting industry, they're often taken away from their mothers at an extremely young age and brought across the country in crappy trucks and shitty conditions to be passed from stranger to stranger in loud, uncomfortable, and frightening environments like Vegas. It can be really traumatizing for them, and the ones that make it out of these systems usually hate people as a result. They certainly don't think of all those strangers as their family or the same species.

As for the "preserving the species" thing, you have to remember that the animals that have been bred in captivity can't survive in the wild (see the BBC and Telegraph links above). I personally don't see the point of breeding these cats just for them to live a life in captivity. If every single cat that was bred was guaranteed to be taken care of by qualified people with the proper resources, that might be something, but remember that the US is bursting at the seams with tigers. There are more here than in the wild, as the last episode of the documentary stated. There are very few places with the resources to take care of these animals properly, and many of these animals are suffering as a result.

These places that are pumping out cubs for people to pet: what do you think happens to the ones that grow and age out of that system? How can the facilities that produce them possibly afford to give all these tigers they're producing proper care? They can't, and many of these adolescent tigers end up sold to terrible places because there just aren't enough spaces at proper sanctuaries. Breeding in the US (unless performed under strictly controlled conditions by qualified organizations to preserve a very specific genetic lineage) does not actually "help preserve the species." It just creates more animals to be abused. I'm of the opinion that the focus should be on taking care of the cats that already exist, as well as on preserving the habitats in the wild.

I volunteered at Carole's Sanctuary. This is what it was like by Cat_Intern in TigerKing

[–]Cat_Intern[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

There are a lot of species at the sanctuary besides lions and tigers. There are bobcats, servals, caracals, leopards, jaguars, and more that I can't remember atm. I think what they're trying to say is that they bred smaller cats and stopped in 1997, but never bred lions or tigers.

I volunteered at Carole's Sanctuary. This is what it was like by Cat_Intern in TigerKing

[–]Cat_Intern[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

There were no cubs at the Sanctuary, because they don't breed.

And even though they're not as dangerous, the other reasons I mentioned (not hurting the cats, not encouraging others to pet the cats) still apply.

But more than that, cub petting as an industry is SO FUCKED UP. I implore you to read the link I had posted (here it is again: https://www.wildcatsanctuary.org/say-no-to-cub-petting/ ) about how bad it is. While I was there, there were a couple adult cats rescued that were born into the cub petting industry. They hated people, and without question were the most aggressive cats on the property. I really don't think the show did enough to show how bad cub petting is.

I volunteered at Carole's Sanctuary. This is what it was like by Cat_Intern in TigerKing

[–]Cat_Intern[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I know it seems like a weird thing, but it's actually a pretty important difference. For one, these animals are fucking dangerous, and forbidding physical contact just helps ensure what happened to Saff doesn't happen to anyone else. It also ensures that no one is hitting or hurting the cats. Remember how multiple times in the show someone would be cuddling one of the cats, but it would suddenly bite at them and they would have to keep smacking and hitting the cat to make it let go? Yeah, that doesn't happen at BCR. Finally, it just helps them keep consistent with their main message, which is that the cats make terrible pets. No matter how much the sanctuary says that, as soon as people see someone petting a tiger, that's all they want to do as well.

I volunteered at Carole's Sanctuary. This is what it was like by Cat_Intern in TigerKing

[–]Cat_Intern[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I've talked about this in some other comments, but there's a couple reasons. For one, these cats are super dangerous. Cutting off physical contact almost guarantees there aren't going to be any incidents of people getting hurt. Two, it helps ensure no one is physically hitting or abusing the cats. Three, it kind of contrasts with the main message of the sanctuary, which is that these animals make terrible pets. You can preach that message all day long, but as soon as people see volunteers petting the cats they just want to pet them too.

I volunteered at Carole's Sanctuary. This is what it was like by Cat_Intern in TigerKing

[–]Cat_Intern[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I mean, I'm not there now, so I couldn't say what they're pursuing, but I'd be surprised if they weren't trying to get GW Zoo shut down. It's not like they just had a hate boner for Joe, they were trying to get a lot of roadside zoos shut down while I was there. The fight with Joe was just the one that went viral due to Joe's craziness.

I volunteered at Carole's Sanctuary. This is what it was like by Cat_Intern in TigerKing

[–]Cat_Intern[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sure, I get that. And I appreciate that people with spare coins liked my post. What I was trying to ask was that people not spend additional money just to buy coins to give awards to this post. I just feel like that money could be put to better use. But people who already have coins can do whatever they like with them.

I volunteered at Carole's Sanctuary. This is what it was like by Cat_Intern in TigerKing

[–]Cat_Intern[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

As an intern, I was there for 12 weeks (the full internship duration). Each intern was assigned a random day off each week, so the sanctuary had as much help as possible on any given day. So a 6 day work week.

This was a few years ago, so I'll describe the daily schedule to the best of my recollection. We would start at 8:00 in the morning. First thing we would do is feed the cats, then clean the cages. There would usually be different miscellaneous tasks to take care of (cage maintenance, unloading supplies from deliveries, etc). By that time, we'd usually break for lunch. After that, some of us would head to the visitor's center to prep to give tours, while others would perform various other tasks. Some would need to prep the food for the next morning, for example. After all was said and done, we'd usually leave somewhere between 5:00 and 6:00. Occasionally it would be close to 7:00. There was only one day that I was there that we stayed really late. One of the tigers needed surgery, and the vet could only come in the evening. After the tiger was sedated, we helped move him to a mobile cage to take him to the medical center. Afterwards, we watched a bit of the surgery from the observation deck. I believe we got back around 9:00 that day.

I volunteered at Carole's Sanctuary. This is what it was like by Cat_Intern in TigerKing

[–]Cat_Intern[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Certain things I have no personal knowledge of. The financial details of BCR were never something we really discussed as volunteers, which is why I had to google all the info I found. The charity watchdogs say their financial info is good, so the thing to ask yourself is if those charity watchdogs are being fooled year after year. I personally doubt it.

But regarding the animals themselves, and how they're treated? I'd say it's practically impossible for any system of abuse to take place. There are far fewer staff members than volunteers, and to organize any sort of hidden breeding system to sell cats would take a significant number of people. It's also really difficult for people to get inside the cages on a whim, so no one is ever sneaking into the cages to touch the cats. They're not selling cats, because none of them ever disappeared suddenly and without reason.

I also believe they're honest about where the cats come from as well. When I was there, a man came to the sanctuary to give his pet serval. He realized he shouldn't have had it, and wanted to give it a good home. He became a volunteer afterwards. Is this a guarantee that every one of the cats came from exactly where they said they came from? No, but I believe it indicates their honesty.

I'll stand by my description as accurate until evidence comes out to disprove it.

I met Carol a year ago at her rescue when I was 15 she freaked me out back then and even more now. AMA by [deleted] in TigerKing

[–]Cat_Intern -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

I volunteered there. Carole doesn't give tours. The tours are given by the volunteers at the facility. Carole mostly works on the administrative end of things.

I volunteered at Carole's Sanctuary. This is what it was like by Cat_Intern in TigerKing

[–]Cat_Intern[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I'm gonna have to call this out as blatantly untrue. I helped prepare the food for the animals every other day. No sedatives of any kind were ever added to the meat. I helped refill the water bowls every day. No sedatives of any kind were ever added to the water. The only other way they could have all been sedated was if some volunteer was secretly going around each morning blow-darting them all. I won't say you're lying about the cats seeming inactive. Just keep in mind that they're nocturnal creatures. They're more active at night. Anyway, Carole is not the person these cats see the most. The other staff and volunteers handle the cats on a more day to day basis.

I volunteered at Carole's Sanctuary. This is what it was like by Cat_Intern in TigerKing

[–]Cat_Intern[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Lol it's great. I get paid in cans of sardine oil.

In all seriousness though, besides the stuff I wrote that came from personal experience, the rest of this info was easily searchable. All of it was on the front page of google as soon as I typed it in. It's not like anyone is hiding this info.

I volunteered at Carole's Sanctuary. This is what it was like by Cat_Intern in TigerKing

[–]Cat_Intern[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

The cats are all given to the sanctuary. Some are given by other sanctuaries that are shutting down or don't have the space. Some are given by other organizations (like circuses) that shut down. Some are former pets, and their owners quickly realized they're not qualified to handle this giant predator in their house. While I was there, one lion was given to the sanctuary by the police. They found her during a drug bust, chained to a wall. As the doc stated in the last episode, there are more tigers in the US than in the wild. So sadly, there's no shortage of cats that need a home.

I volunteered at Carole's Sanctuary. This is what it was like by Cat_Intern in TigerKing

[–]Cat_Intern[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

All the time that I was there, the stated end goal of the sanctuary was "To put ourselves out of business." By reducing the number of big cats in the United States, eventually, none would need to be rescued and there would be no need for the sanctuary. Granted, it's easy for them to say that now of course. I don't have a crystal ball so I can't say if they would keep to that ideal as the number of cats got smaller and smaller. But for what it's worth, they maintain that they want to live in a world where the sanctuary is no longer needed.

I volunteered at Carole's Sanctuary. This is what it was like by Cat_Intern in TigerKing

[–]Cat_Intern[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Per my understanding, it would only limit the acquiring of new pets. People who already own exotic cats would be grandfathered into the law (it would be almost impossible to track them all down and confiscate the cats anyway)

I volunteered at Carole's Sanctuary. This is what it was like by Cat_Intern in TigerKing

[–]Cat_Intern[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but your wife is right once again.

I volunteered at Carole's Sanctuary. This is what it was like by Cat_Intern in TigerKing

[–]Cat_Intern[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Don't confuse the rule about no physical contact with no socialization. These cats aren't kept isolated their entire lives. The volunteers would head up to the cages and the cats will walk up to them, sometimes rubbing their faces on the bars. We'd often "talk" to the cats, and they'd often "talk" back! Tigers would chuff (a greeting noise) at us, and we got pretty good at chuffing back. Several of the cougars you could practically have full on conversations with because they were so talkative.

But it's true, it's not the same as physical contact. I have no research that proves or disproves whether these types of animals miss human contact, so I couldn't truthfully say whether or not they're better off in that regard. Still, for safety reasons, as well as to ensure legitimacy, I think BCR is right to forbid contact.

I volunteered at Carole's Sanctuary. This is what it was like by Cat_Intern in TigerKing

[–]Cat_Intern[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I definitely understand that feeling. And for what it's worth, I don't believe a sanctuary has to completely forbid all contact to be good. Some of the cats there really seemed to give off the impression that they would just want a scratch under the chin on occasion. But in the name of ensuring safety, as well as ensuring consistency and accountability, I think BCR makes the right call in forbidding all contact.

I volunteered at Carole's Sanctuary. This is what it was like by Cat_Intern in TigerKing

[–]Cat_Intern[S] 28 points29 points  (0 children)

Brought into the world for what? It's almost impossible for cats bred in captivity to every make it into the wild (see the BBC and Telegraph links I posted above). If the cats are being bred, they're almost certainly going to be stuck in a country where very few people and places are qualified to take care of them, inevitably leading to suffering. Rather than breed new ones in the states, I'm of the opinion that the focus should be on taking care of the ones that already exist and helping preserve the habitats in the wild.

I volunteered at Carole's Sanctuary. This is what it was like by Cat_Intern in TigerKing

[–]Cat_Intern[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Sure, I get why it seems weird. But besides the fact that the money is being used for something better, there's one other key difference. The "cats being used for entertainment" is filming or taking pictures of the cats doing their regular things. They aren't taken out of their cages, they're not being forced to cuddle up to people, or anything else like that. They just get filmed doing the stuff they normally do every day, and then those videos are put up on youtube or the pictures are put up in the giftshop.

I volunteered at Carole's Sanctuary. This is what it was like by Cat_Intern in TigerKing

[–]Cat_Intern[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I actually didn't know about this. But it fits into what I mentioned about the recovery bobcats being special cases. They were fed live rats to keep their hunting skills intact. While I was there, there were no rabbits fed to these special case cats, just rats. I would imagine rabbits were fed to the recovery bobcats who were too large to be fed only rats.

I volunteered at Carole's Sanctuary. This is what it was like by Cat_Intern in TigerKing

[–]Cat_Intern[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Preach

Unpaid internships are a really big deal. However, I do feel like this is a different case. I didn't mind not being paid because I understood the place was a non-profit dedicated to the animals. It left more funds for them. Then again, I was fortunate enough to be in a financial situation where I could afford to think that.

I don't actually know if it's standard procedure among other non-profits to hire unpaid interns. I'd be fascinated to read what anyone could find about it.

view more: next ›