The Big Cat Sanctuary Is Open For Business As Usual Please See Our Visitor Notice Below On How The Site Will Operate During The Coronavirus
The Big Cat Sanctuary is open for business as usual.
As we are all aware, the UK is entering into very uncertain times and the outbreak of Covid-19 is currently affecting everyone in some shape or form. We have now held multiple meetings to discuss how we will move forward in the coming few weeks and beyond. Please ensure you read all of the information below to understand our position statement in line with government guidelines to limit non-essential social interaction.
Is The Big Cat Sanctuary still open?
At this current time, The Big Cat Sanctuary will remain open as usual due to the limited number of people on site .
The Big Cat Sanctuary is a largely open space allowing the recommended social distancing measures to be adhered to.
As a seasonal family business, the winter can be hard enough anyway. But also as a charity, we rely on income from our visitors to help us feed and care for our animals as well as allowing us to continue providing for our team.
We remain in constant contact with our Zoo Associations and the zoo community sharing precautions and advice.
What is the best way to pay at The Big Cat Sanctuary?
We would encourage all visitors to pay by card as much as possible in order to limit contact between our team members and visitors.
Am I a vulnerable member of the public?
What should I do if I feel unwell?
If you feel unwell , please do not visit during this time in the best interests of our team, animals and other visitors.
Carole Baskin Closes Tiger Sanctuary To Public Over Poison Fears
“There were so many threats after ‘Tiger King'”
Tiger King star Carole Baskin has closed her animal sanctuary out of fear that people will poison the tigers.
The Big Cat Rescue owner explained to Metro why she was planning on keeping her sanctuary shut in the foreseeable future, despite her recent fame from the Netflix series.
Listing the reasons of her privacy and caution for the sanctuary, Baskin said: One is obviously the pandemic, which is such an issue because the way our tours are is its 20 people that have to stay very close to the tour guide.
So the tour guide is telling them about the stories of the cats and you cant have 20 people crammed together.
She then explained that she had received threats since the airing of the show, and so wishes to protect the tigers.
But the other was there were so many threats right after Tiger King of people saying they wanted to kill the cats, Baskin explained.
For them to say they wanted to kill me or kill my family, thats one thing. But for them to say they wanted to come onto the property and kill the cats thats something that a person actually could do.
She added: They could bring poison in meat and just toss it and somebody wouldnt see that if they werent watching every single person on the tour.
Carole Baskin Told Insider That The Pandemic Has Forced Big Cat Rescue To Cut Some Members Of Its Staff
According to its website, Big Cat Rescue is “one of the largest accredited sanctuaries in the world dedicated to abused and abandoned big cats.” More than 50 felines live on-site, and are cared for by Baskin, her husband Howard, staff members, and approximately 80 to 110 volunteers. Typically, the sanctuary is open to visitors throughout the year.
During the pandemic, however, guided tours were temporarily halted to maintain the safety of its big cats, volunteers, and employees.
“About one third of our revenue is from guided tours of the sanctuary,” Baskin told Insider over email. “Losing that meant we had to let go 10 of our 20 staff, and my husband and I are not taking paychecks.”
Still, Big Cat Rescue is working on various methods to spread its message and advocacy online.
“We are trying out new ways of bringing virtual tours to our supporters,” she said. “We have always done Facebook Live broadcasts each day, but now we are trying to bring more consistent content like Feeding Tours LIVE, Keeper Tours LIVE, Singing Sundays, Cats for Kids on Saturdays, etc.”
“We have an educational app coming out called Big Cat Rescue VR for Oculus, and have some teachers working on class materials we can offer teachers and home schoolers to go along with that content,” she continued.
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Christmas With The Animals
Come watch the animals open their Christmas presents during our Christmas with the Animals Fundraiser! Make your list and check it twice while your shop for incredible finds in our gift shop, grab a bite from one of the food trucks, enjoy some hot cocoa or a toasty beverage from the full bar – and many other festive surprises during this afternoon of fun at the sanctuary.
Why Is Big Cat Rescue Still Open
Baskin, on the other hand, announced on March 16, 2020 that BCR would not reopen the animal sanctuary to the public due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and she later announced she would not reopen the sanctuary⦠A cat rescue program Big Cat Rescue locations across the country include the following locations: Big Cat Rescue 12802 Easy St, Tampa, FL 33225, U.S. 16 more rows.
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Closing Has Meant Less Revenue And Opportunities To Educate
Still, the closures have been a financial hardship for the sanctuary. According to Baskin, Big Cat Rescue has lost about a million dollars per year in revenue. She also said it has negatively affected “our ability to educate and motivate our 27,000 annual visitors to call their members of Congress in support of the Big Cat Public Safety Act which bans cub handling and phases out private ownership of big cats.”
Even with the difficulties that Baskin and Big Cat Rescue have faced since “Tiger King” came out in March 2020, some good has come of it. For one, Baskin told Grunge that she thinks “government agencies and law enforcement were embarrassed to have allowed such rampant big cat abuse to continue and now they are taking action.”
And as far as those who she says were misled by the hit show, others “were amused enough by the wrongdoings of so many animal abusers, that it generated interest in legitimate documentaries and fact-based programs,” Baskin said, adding, “‘The Conservation Game’s launch resulted in faux TV conservationists being outed for dealing with backyard breeders, which resulted in AZA zoos publicly distancing themselves from using animals as ‘ambassadors’ on TV and their promise to stop exchanging animals with these horrible road side zoos and private collectors.”
Baskin also said she “has no doubt” the Big Cat Public Safety Act will pass soon, a bill she said she and others have been working on since 1998.
But She Found Tiger Kingextremely Disappointing
The Big Cat Rescue Instagram account issued a public statement about the Netflix series in a March 26, 2020 post, writing, “Big Cat Rescue worked with the directors of Tiger King in good faith & its sensationalism is extremely disappointing.”
The post went on to say that BCR understands concerns and remains focused on its mission. “We dont respond to allegations or hateful statements but will monitor for questions about efforts to save these majestic animals,” the caption concluded.
Because of this statement, many of her supporters are refusing to watch the show. “I wont watch the movie/show. Now knowing they portrayed you in a bad light I most definitely wont watch it. You do amazing things for the animals in your care. Saddens me to think people are going to watch it and think otherwise without looking into what you actually do,” one Instagram follower wrote.
“I know how good BCR is. I’ve been following the sanctuary for years! I promise I will NOT ever watch that documentary,” another person said.
Big Cat Rescue’s Instagram responded to several of the comments announcing their refusal to watch Tiger King and thanked them for their support.
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The Most Important Action You Can Take For Big Cats And Their Cubs
Stop Big Cat Abuse
This bill passed the House in a landslide vote July 31, 2022 and is before the Senate on their consent agenda. Your Senators need to hear from you now! See what is happening today, or this week at Big Cat Rescue.Get the most recent copy of the Big Cat Times, a bi-annual print newsletter.
No Public Tours But Limited Donor Tours Available
We continue to be closed to the general public. However, we have a limited ability to provide small private tours. Donors of $500 or more per year may schedule to come with one additional guest. Donors of $1000 or more may bring three guests with them. All guests must be at least 10 years of age. Our tour guides are vaccinated and we ask that you and any guests be vaccinated as well. If you experience any COVID symptoms in the ten days prior to your tour please contact us to reschedule. Masks are optional. Do not bring any pets with you To schedule a visit email Howard.Baskin@BigCatRescue.org.
Because we can only provide in person tours to a small number of donors we have invested in ramping up our virtual options, such as our LIVE webcams where you can view the cats live and chat with people who love big cats. Our cameras are at and see our virtual options at BigCatRescue.org/VR
We are always available to connect with you on our social sites at , where we go LIVE daily , YouTube,, and TikTok where we post daily updates, photos and videos so you can stay up to date on the cats.
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Two Of Baskin’s Big Cats Got Covid
According to Baskin, even though Big Cat Rescue closed 19 months ago, re-opening the sanctuary is still too risky, especially in light of another season of “Tiger King” coming out soon. Baskin called the narrative in the original docu-series “wrong,” and expects the second version will also mislead viewers. She is still contending with both keeping her cats safe from COVID-19 and dealing with fans of the show who may show up with malintent.
“Even with all of our precautions, of preventing public access, our keepers being vaccinated and wearing masks when around the cats or their food, we still have had two confirmed cases,” Baskin told Grunge. “With ‘Tiger King 2’ coming out mid-November, we expect the public will be misled yet again since that proved to be such a lucrative model for the producers, so we just can’t risk the safety of our cats or our keepers.”
Baskin says considering the “situation regarding COVID … we can’t even think about reopening until that threat is gone.”
And while Baskin told Grunge via email that there are COVID-19 vaccines for big cats, she has to weigh the risks vs. the benefits.
“Our cats are mostly older than their species is known to live, so chasing them down or restraining them for the vaccine is more of a threat to them than the other methods we are using to protect them from infection,” Baskin said.
It’s Not Just The Pandemic That Has Baskin Worried About Strangers Entering Her Sanctuary
In addition to the virus, Baskin is also worried about fans of Exotic, who she fears might cause harm to her cats in response to their ongoing feud.
As of Monday, an Oklahoma judge ruled that Baskin is now in control of Exotic’s old zoo, the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, which was most recently formally under Jeff Lowe’s ownership. She will not receive any of the park’s animals, but told Insider that Big Cat Rescue will “stand ready to assist” should the need arise Lowe has 120 days to vacate the zoo’s premises, according to the ruling.
“I think we have already found our new normal,” Baskin told Insider. “I have no delusions that we would ever be able to open to the public again. Even if COVID-19 is under control by the end of next year and I think it will be at least that long I don’t know if I would ever take the risk of allowing one deranged person from the #FreeJoeExotic clan to gain access.”
“Even though our tours are guided and have a backup person to keep the group of 20 or less together, it would be just too easy for a pair or group to work together to distract our volunteers long enough to throw some poisoned treat into a cage for a cat to consume,” she continued. “It’s just not worth the risk.”
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Is Big Cat Rescue Still Open
According to the Official Big Cat Rescue website, the park is still closed to the public due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. There were plans to resume some small, private tours as conditions permitted, though this hasn’t happened yet. In a 2020 interview with Insider, BCR’s owner, Carole Baskin, explained: “If we were going to open to the public, we would require masks, temperature scans, and some sort of accounting for where they were before coming here.
Nevertheless, COVID wasnt the only thing that threatened BCR over the past several years. According to Insider, the airing of Netflixs Tiger King almost forced Baskin to close the park to the public for good. Baskin insists that she and her husband, Howard Baskin, were misrepresented by the documentary. Theres even a whole page on the BCR website dedicated to refuting the supposedly slanderous insinuations referenced in Tiger King.
Baskin also worries that if #FreeJoeExotic protestors were to worm their way into her sanctuary though a tour, they would pose a serious risk to herself, her husband, her cats, and her visitors. As a result, Baskin is unsure the park will ever be open to the public again at least in the way that it used to be.
Where Is Carole Baskin Now
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She updates her followers via a YouTube vlog on the goings on with the sanctuary.
In charge of looking after animals, she also helps push their animal rights campaigns.
Currently, Carole is trying to bring down big cat animal breeders.
They are at the forefront of campaigning for the Big Cats Safety Act in the US
Carole has publicly slammed Tiger King for its portrayal of her, particularly episode three, which delves into the disappearance of Don Lewis who was her first husband in 1997.
Joe Exotic has made outlandish and unsubstantiated claims she was connected to the disappearance of Lewis and has horrifically continued to accuse her of his murder, even making a country music song Here Kitty Kitty, in which he claims she fed Lewis to tigers.
In a lengthy post on Big Cat Rescues website, Carole has picked apart the episode scene by scene, and previously claimed she had agreed to the documentary under the impression it was to be a Blackfish for cats in order to stop the illegal sale of animals.
Tiger King is available to stream now on Netflix UK.
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Now Carole Just Wants Life To Go Back To Normal
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The Tiger King star has made it pretty clear on her website that she wants to move forward. “While media attention regarding this trial has primarily focused on the murder for hire charges, there is a much larger significance to the wildlife charges,” Carole wrote, noting that Joe Exotic and others have been involved in the illegal sale of tigers and other animals.
“I hope that the detailed evidence of these illegal transfers developed for this trial will lead to more prosecutions to protect captive big cats in this country from this illegal trade,” she added.
Is Big Cat Rescue Ethical
BCRs credentials page would indicate that it’s a perfectly fine non-profit sanctuary. But, since Tiger Kings initial airing, folks have offered a number of opinions on BCRs policies and its eccentric owners. And, much of the negativity surrounding the sanctuary pertains to the volunteer staff.
According to Stephanie Shuttler, BCR has a handful of full-time employees, but none who are actually trained to care for exotic animals. In addition, the bulk of BCRs staff is made up of unpaid volunteers. Baskin has admitted openly that she is not averse to using unpaid volunteers to care for the cats in the Tiger King documentary. This means that many of the cats may not be getting exactly what they need.
The cat’s living conditions aren’t grade-A, either. Per Insider, the cat’s cages tiny, and many are crammed into the same ones at once. She also fed them expired meat from Wal-Mart, and has a reported history of breeding and selling exotic animals. So is she much worse than Exotic himself?
“In my opinion, Carole Baskin was just as bad as Joe,” reality TV show producer, Rick Kirkham, stated in the pilot episode. “They were both, you know, taking advantage of exotic animals to make money.”
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Does Big Cat Rescue Actually Help Cats
There is no easy answer when it comes to the question of whether or not Big Cat Rescue actually helps cats. The organization is a sanctuary for big cats that have been abused, abandoned, or otherwise need a home, so it does provide a much-needed service for some cats. However, there is also criticism that the sanctuary does not do enough to ensure the safety and well-being of the cats in their care, and that some of the big cats are not actually rescued but purchased from breeders. Overall, it is difficult to say definitively whether or not Big Cat Rescue is helping or harming cats.
The Big Cat Rescue organization believes that keeping wild cats in cages is killing them off. The goal of zoos is to raise money or show animals for a fee. Because no wild cat born in a cage can ever be free, their claims of breeding to save the environment are simply a ruse.