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10 episodes with judy mills
Today - We look at why the former Cochise County Republican Committee chairman suddenly changed his party affiliation.Support the show: https://www.myheraldreview.com/site/forms/subscription_services/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In this episode Char and Kurt along with guests Judy Mills-wife of Board of Director Mike Mills and another DIrector of Merchandise--Charlene "The O.G." and share with you an oveview of recent charitable events--Crawlin for the Fallin, Basket Brigade, Shop with a Deputy, Give Back Days at Oil & Vinegar, and Yeomans Jewelry. Wait til you find out how much was raised! As Judy says--"Jeepers Have Big Hearts". Also find out where Tuesday's GIve Back Day takes place. Don't miss Charlene and Kurt's Holiday Happy Hour every Friday and Saturday evenings at 5pm too! Happy ThanksGIVING everyone!
We can discuss Tuesday but for now I'd like to give you a report on our recent contact with the State Department. One the points we make in favor of the bill is that our rampant breeding and lack of tracking of tigers in this country impairs the credibility of the State Department in their efforts to fight trafficking and tiger farms. As discussed, we have some indication that this could be a particularly meaningful argument to Senator Portman. The only concrete evidence I know of that we have is what Judy Mills writes in her book (The Blood of the Tiger). And as you know my suggestion that we get Judy in front of Portman's staff for that reason died. At the tiger side event we helped organize and pay for at CITES in South Africa, toward the end one of the Chinese representatives apparently yelled out their usual refrain of "at least we know where are tigers are." I reviewed the tape of the session and unfortunately the recording ended before that and did not catch it on tape as I had hoped. Carole and I attended, and Big Cat Rescue was a minor sponsor, of the event at the UN on March 2 for World Wildlife Day. Fascinating experience personally in a number of ways, but what is relevant here is that among the half dozen or so countries who sent representatives to make remarks on behalf of their nation was the US. Hi, I'm Carole Baskin and I've been writing my story since I was able to write, but when the media goes to share it, they only choose the parts that fit their idea of what will generate views. These are my views and opinions. If I'm going to share my story, it should be the whole story. The titles are the dates things happened. If you have any interest in who I really am please start at the beginning of this playlist: http://savethecats.org/ I know there will be people who take things out of context and try to use them to validate their own misconception, but you have access to the whole story. My hope is that others will recognize themselves in my words and have the strength to do what is right for themselves and our shared planet. You can help feed the cats at no cost to you using Amazon Smile! Visit BigCatRescue.org/Amazon-smile You can see photos, videos and more, updated daily at BigCatRescue.org Check out our main channel at YouTube.com/BigCatRescue Music (if any) from Epidemic Sound (http://www.epidemicsound.com) This video is for entertainment purposes only and is my opinion. Closing graphic with permission from https://youtu.be/F_AtgWMfwrk
One of the greatest gifts we've been given by God is relationship. Relationship with Him and life lived in relationship with others In today's episode we talk about the humility of Christ and how the love of God seen through the Gospel demonstrates for us how to love in relationships. Judy shares stories from her journey following God and how walking with Jesus has guided her understanding of how to love freely and sacrificially. Having been married for over 30 years, Judy speaks into the Biblical principle of mutual submission in relationships and in marriage. Judy and Laura Leigh lean into the wisdom from the book of 1 Peter Chapter 3 bringing insight on what it means to serve one another in love and how in doing so we are showing the world around us the beauty of Christ. Hope & Holiness - Bible Study - DOWNLOAD INTRO WEEK Join the Rise Collective Women Online Community Subscribe to the Email List
Howie just sent a great letter, in response to Kedar Gore of the Corbett Foundation. I wanted to include it here as a summary of the the work we are involved in re: CITES “The ITC existed under that name for a number of years with Judy Mills as the Moderator and had funding for her role. I don't recall the exact years but I recall 2009 so may a few years after as well. It does not formally exist now but some of the organizations continue to work together. Most if not all are members of the Species Survival Network which we joined only a few months ago. A significant part of our role back in the ITC was to create awareness among the international players of the detrimental role the US captive situation has on the conservation of the cats in the wild. That is now well recognized and we can talk about it if you like. If you have not read Judy's book Blood of the Tiger I highly recommend it. Over her career Judy worked both on the ground exposing illegal trade and at the high level representing large NGOs and then ITC at CITES etc. She was privy to private conversations, particularly with representatives of Asian countries, that gives her an insight that third party reporters do not have access to. This year was our first participation in CITES. We worked with EIA, Judy Mills individually who was one of the people representing us there, Born Free etc in a number of ways. We helped fund and organize a side event devoted to the tiger. The event was hosted by South African author and journalist Julian Rademeyer, who is known for his work investigating rhino horn trade. Our featured speakers were 1) Bittu Sahgal, a renowned and charismatic Indian tiger/climate change activist and writer, who is the founding editor of Sanctuary Asia, India's premier wildlife and ecology magazine, known for its work enlisting children in wildlife conservation, and 2) Bui Thi Ha, Education for Nature-Vietnam's 's vice director and head of the policy and legislation team, who is a feisty young lawyer and goes after the bad guys with great courage, ensuring enforcement agencies prosecute wildlife crime offenders to the full extent of the law. What I am leading up to with this perhaps too long explanation is that after CITES an informal group has formed to continue the work on CITES issues. It does not have a name like ITC but operates similarly. We just had our first conference call this past week. The focus was following up on the effort to create standards for rescue centers. You probably know that the major victory at CITES was preserving the 2007 language about tiger farms that the Chinese were hoping to eliminate. One exciting development was, Laos announced their intention to eliminate their tiger farms. A great step, now they face the difficult task of figuring out how to do that, the big problem of course being what to do with perhaps 700 tigers. A portion of this group is working on that. In both cases, while there is no formal leader, EIA seem to be taking on the role of organizing the effort. We feel that that ending the tiger farms and efforts to legitimize sale of parts and derivatives is key to the survival of the tiger in the wild. Carole had a long history with ITC but involvement in CITES and these efforts is new to us. I think I have characterized this accurately but have copied my two colleagues who have been more involved. Sooo, given all that, if you would like to be part of these group efforts, I would be happy to make an introduction to Debbie Banks at EIA if you do not know her, which is probably the best way to get a better understanding of the efforts and see if you want to get involved?” Howard Baskin Advisory Board Chairman Big Cat Rescue Hi, I'm Carole Baskin and I've been writing my story since I was able to write, but when the media goes to share it, they only choose the parts that fit their idea of what will generate views. If I'm going to share my story, it should be the whole story. The titles are the dates things happened. If you have any interest in who I really am please start at the beginning of this playlist: http://savethecats.org/ I know there will be people who take things out of context and try to use them to validate their own misconception, but you have access to the whole story. My hope is that others will recognize themselves in my words and have the strength to do what is right for themselves and our shared planet. You can help feed the cats at no cost to you using Amazon Smile! Visit BigCatRescue.org/Amazon-smile You can see photos, videos and more, updated daily at BigCatRescue.org Check out our main channel at YouTube.com/BigCatRescue Music (if any) from Epidemic Sound (http://www.epidemicsound.com) This video is for entertainment purposes only and is my opinion. Closing graphic with permission from https://youtu.be/F_AtgWMfwrk
Best International Tiger Day EVER! I'm so happy that 45 NGO's came together with a unified voice today for tigers and that the U.S. captive tiger situation was right up front and center in the reports by EIA and WWF. See below as they are epic. I'm thankful that I have the tools to create a #InternationalTigerDay banner from one of Jamie's amazing photos of TJ the tiger in our Vacation Rotation enclosure and share it with millions of people on Facebook and Instagram. I'm grateful to NonStop Knight for hosting an in game voting contest for a charity to win $10,000 I am confident we can win it. WWF Roars Out Against Tiger Farming WWF: Tiger Farming in Asia Must End; US has Role to Play World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is using International Tiger Day today to call on governments across Asia to investigate all tiger breeding centers and close any operations involved in the illegal tiger trade. WWF is also calling on the US to do more to address its own large captive tiger population. Closure of operations in Asia linked to illegal tiger trade, commonly referred to as ‘tiger farms' to distinguish them from legitimate zoos or captive breeding facilities established for conservation purposes, would significantly boost efforts to save the world's remaining wild tigers. According to the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), there are more than 200 tiger breeding centers across Asia ranging in size from tiny to huge. These centers, spread across China, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand, jointly house between 7,000-8,000 captive tigers – far more than the estimated 3,900 tigers left in the wild. Many of these tiger breeding centers – which often include entertainment attractions like Thailand's notorious Tiger Temple – are likely to be involved in the illegal trade of tigers and tiger products, particularly given their incredibly high operating costs. They undermine efforts to protect wild tigers and to halt the illegal trade by complicating enforcement activities, and by normalizing and legitimizing the sale of tiger parts and products, which in turn drives up demand. “Many tiger range states have devoted considerable resources to conserving their wild tigers – efforts that are being undermined by the existence of these farms,” said Michael Baltzer, Leader of WWF's Tigers Alive Initiative. “Closing tiger farms will help countries to achieve the ambitious goal of doubling wild tiger numbers by 2022.” However, tiger farms cannot be closed overnight since the fate of the tigers would still need to be resolved, especially as none of them could be released into the wild. International support would be needed to help countries deal with this challenge, including ensuring rigorous oversight of the operations while they were being phased out. The US in particular, with the largest captive population outside of China, has a significant role to play in ensuring captive-bred tigers don't feed the global black market for tiger parts. A patchwork of regulations governing the estimated 5,000 captive tigers in the US makes many of these animals susceptible to exploitation by wildlife traffickers. The US Fish and Wildlife Service took significant steps in April by tightening loopholes that allowed unregulated interstate trade in captive tigers. But much more can be done, including banning public contact with tigers for photo ops and other profit-seeking ventures that encourage private tiger breeding. “Our concern is that when these cats get too large, costly and dangerous to be profitable they can be funneled into the illegal trade in tigers and tiger parts,” said Leigh Henry, Wildlife Policy expert at WWF in the US. “Disincentivizing private tiger breeding will gradually decrease the number of tigers in the US to a more manageable number and make them less vulnerable to illegal trade. Continued strong US action in our own backyard in support of tiger conservation sends a positive signal to Asian governments considering action around their tiger farms.” WWF is part of a big cat coalition that is currently petitioning the US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to pass regulations prohibiting public contact with captive tigers. You can comment on that through Aug 31, 2016: https://www.regulations.gov/comment?D=APHIS-2012-0107-15341 Please tell USDA that cub handling should not be allowed by the public with any species or age of wild cat. Tiger farms will also be discussed at the upcoming conference of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in South Africa, including the need to prevent tigers and tiger products entering illegal trade from and through such farms. WWF supports a number of the proposals, which – if adopted – will ensure much greater regulation and oversight of these operations. Big Cat Rescue will be attending these meetings and will be co hosting a tiger awareness event along with Judy Mills, author of Blood of the Tiger, EIA, Born Free and others. It is now estimated that close to 3,900 tigers remain in the wild, up from the previous estimate of as few as 3,200 in 2010 – the year in which all the tiger range states, partner countries, and organizations committed to work towards the TX2 goal of doubling the number of wild tigers by 2022. Hi, I'm Carole Baskin and I've been writing my story since I was able to write, but when the media goes to share it, they only choose the parts that fit their idea of what will generate views. If I'm going to share my story, it should be the whole story. The titles are the dates things happened. If you have any interest in who I really am please start at the beginning of this playlist: http://savethecats.org/ I know there will be people who take things out of context and try to use them to validate their own misconception, but you have access to the whole story. My hope is that others will recognize themselves in my words and have the strength to do what is right for themselves and our shared planet. You can help feed the cats at no cost to you using Amazon Smile! Visit BigCatRescue.org/Amazon-smile You can see photos, videos and more, updated daily at BigCatRescue.org Check out our main channel at YouTube.com/BigCatRescue Music (if any) from Epidemic Sound (http://www.epidemicsound.com) This video is for entertainment purposes only and is my opinion. Closing graphic with permission from https://youtu.be/F_AtgWMfwrk
Today is Jamie's 36th birthday and I am so grateful that we have come together in this space and time to make a difference. Jamie will be representing the cats at CITES this year and I couldn't be more proud! It wouldn't be happening, if not for all the work Howie has put into it. Judy Mills is the author of Blood of the Tiger and considered by many as the consummate expert on wild tigers. Big Cat Rescue is paying her way and funding 1/3 to 1/2 of the side event in Johannesburg in October. Howie has been the one to encourage her, Debbie Banks from the Environmental Investigation Agency, and Born Free to work together to raise the tiger and other big cat issue up before this international group. I love that these and other former International Tiger Coalition partners are all coming together for CITES CoP17 and on International Tiger Day July 29 for all of the captive issues we are fighting. Last night Howie and I watched Suffragette, a Meryl Streep film about British women fighting for the right to vote in 1912. It gave me strength to push harder for the rights of animals to be treated with respect. Hi, I'm Carole Baskin and I've been writing my story since I was able to write, but when the media goes to share it, they only choose the parts that fit their idea of what will generate views. If I'm going to share my story, it should be the whole story. The titles are the dates things happened. If you have any interest in who I really am please start at the beginning of this playlist: http://savethecats.org/ I know there will be people who take things out of context and try to use them to validate their own misconception, but you have access to the whole story. My hope is that others will recognize themselves in my words and have the strength to do what is right for themselves and our shared planet. You can help feed the cats at no cost to you using Amazon Smile! Visit BigCatRescue.org/Amazon-smile You can see photos, videos and more, updated daily at BigCatRescue.org Check out our main channel at YouTube.com/BigCatRescue Music (if any) from Epidemic Sound (http://www.epidemicsound.com) This video is for entertainment purposes only and is my opinion. Closing graphic with permission from https://youtu.be/F_AtgWMfwrk
What a busy day! I woke up at 6am, which never happens, even though I go to bed at 10pm. I figured I'd better get up though since the monthly AdvoCat had to be sent out today at 10am and I had not written a single word of it yet. Got it done and launched, then Judy Mills and Debbie Banks of EIA, met w/ Howie and I over Skype for an hour and a half, to discuss doing a side event at the CITES CoP17 in Johannesburg, SA, to raise awareness about tigers. Ran from that straight to a closing on the sale of 310 Thomasdale Av in Haines City. Jamie called me from there, in a hurry for me to return to the sanctuary because Gale has already left for the Taking Action for Animals Conference in D.C. and Jamie wanted to take some of the interns bobcat tracking where Thor was released last month. She will switch out the cards in the camera traps while there. I have a week and a half of contacts left, so I had to call my eye doctor and order more. I'd much rather do it myself at Contacts.com but he needs the money, so I order through him. He can't take credit cards, so that means mailing a check. All a huge hassle, but I figure he doesn't have that many more good years left to work. Judy has been saying she can't go to CITES because she's a consultant who doesn't get paid when she doesn't work and she'd be gone 2 weeks. No one could train Jamie better to take over all this tiger protection in the wild stuff, so I offered to do her job for her (reporting for MacArthur Foundation on Climate Change) and let her keep the money. We were discussing what sort of giveaways or enticements to get people to come to the tiger event, which would include a 10 minute tiger movie and a 10 minute tiger talk. I suggested we white label 100 bottles of wine with NOT Tiger Bone Wine and an educational piece about how farming tigers is driving the extinction of tigers. We offer them to the first 100 people who come to and stay through the entire event. Then contacted the hotel to see if they can provide wine. Yesterday I wore myself out, dragging Nest cameras and an extension cord all over the place to see if I can pick up a good enough signal to broadcast for Nest. It would be a great way to reach a new audience. I have a lot more dragging around to do today, but it's 90 degrees and I'm not sure how much more I can stand. Then I got this nice note: Hi Carole and Jamie, I hope all is well. Just wanted to let you know we have submitted everything to Animal Planet today and are just waiting for feedback from their internal development team. Once they have looked over it, it will be passed on to the commissioner. This can take a few weeks (given the number of pitches they receive) but we have a good relationship with them so I am hopeful that we can chase this soon if we don't hear anything in the next few weeks. I will keep you posted, the team have done all we can here so we have everything crossed. Feel free to get in touch at any time but I will update you soon. Have a great day! Kind Regards, Naomi Channell. Casting Producer 344 - 354 Grays Inn Road. London Hi, I'm Carole Baskin and I've been writing my story since I was able to write, but when the media goes to share it, they only choose the parts that fit their idea of what will generate views. If I'm going to share my story, it should be the whole story. The titles are the dates things happened. If you have any interest in who I really am please start at the beginning of this playlist: http://savethecats.org/ I know there will be people who take things out of context and try to use them to validate their own misconception, but you have access to the whole story. My hope is that others will recognize themselves in my words and have the strength to do what is right for themselves and our shared planet. You can help feed the cats at no cost to you using Amazon Smile! Visit BigCatRescue.org/Amazon-smile You can see photos, videos and more, updated daily at BigCatRescue.org Check out our main channel at YouTube.com/BigCatRescue Music (if any) from Epidemic Sound (http://www.epidemicsound.com) This video is for entertainment purposes only and is my opinion. Closing graphic with permission from https://youtu.be/F_AtgWMfwrk
A Walk on the Beach Renews Me Eating dinner at one of my favorite dives, then a walk on the beach and thus will have been an excellent day! Just gave a presentation on Social Marketing to the Marketing Class at Eckerd College and someone left me a sweet note saying how much they appreciate me. Wildlife Trafficking is a complex problem. Most of Its solutions require complex coordination of nations and agencies and are generally difficult to achieve although possible. But there is one very, very simple, very very doable action we can take domestically that could have a significant impact that has not achieved broad awareness. I think the Senator could do a great service to the animals and everyone in attendance by devoting at least part of his keynote talk to the way in which the rampant breeding of tigers in the United States enormously hampers our ability to influence other nations, particularly China, to adopt policies and take actions to stop the trade in tiger parts, rhino horns and ivory. There is a fantastic new resource on the subject of trafficking in the products from these species called "Blood of the Tiger" by Judy Mills. The book discusses rhino horn and ivory in addition to the tiger parts. Judy has spent decades operating both at the highest advocacy levels as a representative to CITES and on the ground doing undercover work. She is privy to conversations that are not found anywhere else. China is "farming" tigers and apparently has plans to do the same with other species. The Chinese argue, wrongly, that by supplying the "market demand" from the farms they will lower poaching in the wild. The opposite is true. They will expand the market demand, and increase poaching for two reasons. First, the animals from the wild will always be viewed as the "premium" product. Second, it is simply cheaper to poach than to farm. BUT, when representatives of the US government and NGO's make this case, China points to the thousands of tigers in back yards and roadside zoos in the US and the uncontrolled and untracked breeding and argues rightly that we have no way to know how many of the US tigers are finding their way into the domestic and international trafficking trade, so who are we to demand that China stop breeding? They make the valid point that at least they know where their tigers are. Senator Lesniak previously took action to try to address the lack of tracking with his NJ bill that passed but was not signed by the Governor. The total solution is a federal bill that would end private possession and breeding of tigers with limited exemptions (like AZA zoos). That bill (HR 1998/ S 1381) ended the 2014 session with 119 cosponsors in the House and a very positive Senate hearing where the US Fish & Wildlife Service supported the bill and later provided suggestions to the drafters for tightening it further. It is expected to be reintroduced with some modifications soon. For the upcoming meeting, I think what some participants may not have heard much or anything about is the powerful negative impact that domestic breeding of tigers is having on the credibility of the US as it tries to attack trafficking by leading other nations in the opposition to the Chinese plan to farm these species. I think explaining this in his talk could do a great service to efforts to preserve these animals in the wild. If this is of interest, I would strongly urge the Senator to invite Judy MIlls to meet with him (she is in DC). Bill, thanks for asking for my input. - Howard Baskin Hi, I'm Carole Baskin and I've been writing my story since I was able to write, but when the media goes to share it, they only choose the parts that fit their idea of what will generate views. If I'm going to share my story, it should be the whole story. The titles are the dates things happened. If you have any interest in who I really am please start at the beginning of this playlist: http://savethecats.org/ I know there will be people who take things out of context and try to use them to validate their own misconception, but you have access to the whole story. My hope is that others will recognize themselves in my words and have the strength to do what is right for themselves and our shared planet. You can help feed the cats at no cost to you using Amazon Smile! Visit BigCatRescue.org/Amazon-smile You can see photos, videos and more, updated daily at BigCatRescue.org Check out our main channel at YouTube.com/BigCatRescue Music (if any) from Epidemic Sound (http://www.epidemicsound.com) This video is for entertainment purposes only and is my opinion.
Dinner with my darling at Whisky Joes on the Causeway See our sign at top left? They are a supporter of the sanctuary. Vets and Reporters I am up early today because Dr. Tammy Miller Michau and Dr. Liz Wynn Swearingen want to sedate Simba Leopard to look at his eye. He has a hole in the cornea that I wanted to treat w/ eye drops, rather than sedate him for extensive surgery. He's so old and I expect to lose him every day, so it seems unfair to put him through this, but now they are saying it could be a fungal infection and that could hurt him a lot more, so we are going to sedate at 9 am this morning. 10 am: Dr. Miller thinks his eye is healing better than expected and opted to not do surgery today. Whew! Another bullet dodged. Before leaving I had to respond to a time sensitive report in the UAE: Hi Carole, I feel as if you are more qualified to answer this journalist's query. Do you have time today? Best, Judy From: Megha Subject: Urgent journalist request: Comment about condition of circus animals in the UAE: Hi Judy, Julian Rademeyer suggested I contact you. I'm a journalist at 7DAYS - the only independent daily newspaper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. I'm working on a story you might be interested in and wanted to share, as well as ask if you might be able to comment. It's about a lion and two tigers that have been living in deplorable conditions for months at a circus site in Dubai. Attached is a picture of the lion and below are links to the videos of the tigers (being made to practice tricks with the trainer using a rake and a shovel to direct them). The circus shut three months ago but the animals have been living in these stuffy conditions (pictured) all this while. The current temperature is 32 degrees celsius and we've had several severe dust storms over the past few months. Since the media attention about their living conditions, the tigers have disappeared and a witness claims to have seen people making offers to buy them in public about an hour away from the circus site. I was hoping you would be able to share your thoughts with me, from a global perspective, on the impact of these conditions on the animals, and what it means for the species. Any UAE-specific data you may have would be useful too. My deadline is end of play today - Monday, March 23. However, if you are able to assure me of a comment after the deadline I will hold the story another day. Please note, the links to the videos are currently unlisted and confidential. Thanks very much for listening. Look forward to hearing from you. Best wishes, Megha P.S. Sorry I haven't read your book, but I hope to get my hands on a copy over the summer now that I've learned about it from Julian. Dear Megha, Judy Mills asked if I would share my perspective on how lions and tigers, being treated this way, affects global populations. The conditions you show are truly deplorable and my heart aches for cats being so deprived of everything they need to be the magnificent animals they are. Seeing the training that goes on behind the scenes is something most people are never going to see. If people knew the animals are beaten, starved and sometimes even killed in the process, they would not go to circuses or wild animal performances. The evil people who use wild animals for such ventures are smart enough to hide what they do and to lie about it. They will always tell their audience that they only use positive reinforcement and praise. The fact of the matter is that they must carry something with them into the ring, when in front of a crowd, to make the cats think they have the weapons that were used during training. The whips look like long sticks to the cats and are the reminder to do the trick or be hit. I've been writing my story since I was able to write, but when the media goes to share it, they only choose the parts that fit their idea of what will generate views. If I'm going to share my story, it should be the whole story. The titles are the dates things happened. If you have any interest in who I really am please start at the beginning of this playlist: http://savethecats.org/ I know there will be people who take things out of context and try to use them to validate their own misconception, but you have access to the whole story. My hope is that others will recognize themselves in my words and have the strength to do what is right for themselves and our shared planet. You can help feed the cats at no cost to you using Amazon Smile! Visit BigCatRescue.org/Amazon-smile You can see photos, videos and more, updated daily at BigCatRescue.org Check out our main channel at YouTube.com/BigCatRescue Music (if any) from Epidemic Sound (http://www.epidemicsound.com) This video is for entertainment purposes only and is my opinion.
Howie's Letter to Kansas Legislators re: cub handling TO: Kansas House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee RE: Cub petting misery and contribution to extinction in the wild Dear Committee Member: I am writing on behalf of big cat cubs to ask you not to support SB 97 for two reasons. The first is the misery this causes to the cubs during the time they are exploited in this way to make money and in the way they are treated once they are too big to use in this way. The second is less obvious and well known, but very real - that rampant breeding of tiger cubs in the US impairs the credibility of our State Department in its efforts to urge banning the international trade in tiger parts that is driving the poaching that has decimated the tiger population. How cubs used for petting are treated. The people who exhibit the cubs have little choice but to physically punish the cubs. Watch any domestic kitten or tiger cub that is four to sixteen weeks old. When they are awake, what is their natural behavior? Is it to sit quietly in someone's lap for a photo? Or is it run, jump, and learn to use their claws and teeth, the things nature hard wires into them so they can develop the muscles and skills to survive? We have numerous videos of cubs used for petting and for photo ops. The cubs are constantly trying to get away, squirming and screaming. Others are so exhausted from not being allowed the significant amount of sleep they need that they do not even move when handled. In one video we were sent cubs had raging diarrhea but were kept on display. In another a cub leaped on a young child knocking him to the ground. In another the trainer is hitting the cub from behind with a stick with small whip at the end to show how to make a cub walk. It is impossible to “regulate” how the cubs are treated because you cannot afford to have inspectors there full time. Being torn from their mothers at birth is a torment to both mother and cub. Being used for petting and photo ops and physically disciplined to make them more “manageable” and deprived of sleep is just a miserable life for the cub. But the mistreatment does not end there. The exhibitors need to constantly breed more cubs. When the cubs are too old to pet, they usually end up living in tiny spaces with no mental stimulation, resulting in ever increasing numbers of big cats living in inhumane conditions. If you or your staff would like more detail on the misery caused by cub petting please visit http://bigcatrescue.org/pet-cubs/. Effect on impending extinction of the tiger. A recently published book Blood of the Tiger by Judy Mills provides a Woodward/Bernstein kind of expose' of what is really happening in the international efforts to save the tiger from impending extinction. The US, India and many other nations that are members of the CITES international treaty are trying to stop the trade in tiger parts and products made from tiger parts (“derivatives”). China is trying to sabotage those efforts. China has “tiger farms” owned by politically connected individuals that contain 6000 tigers they want to slaughter to sell for parts and derivatives. This trade drives the poaching that is decimating the estimated small population of about 3000 tigers left in the wild. But when the US State Department urges Asian nations to stop the tiger farm breeding and the trade in tiger products, the Chinese point to the rampant breeding and lack of tracking of tigers in the US and ask why should they stop breeding in captivity when people in the US do so freely? The trend in public opinion and state law is to not just ban contact, but ban private ownership altogether. Kansas showed wonderful leadership in caring both for people and for animals with the law passed after the tragic death of Haley Hilderbrand. To step backwards now and allow public contact that creates so much misery for the animals and impairs our ability to preserve the tiger in the wild would be another terrible tragedy. Sincerely, Howard Baskin Advisory Board Chairman Hi, I'm Carole Baskin and I've been writing my story since I was able to write, but when the media goes to share it, they only choose the parts that fit their idea of what will generate views. If I'm going to share my story, it should be the whole story. The titles are the dates things happened. If you have any interest in who I really am please start at the beginning of this playlist: http://savethecats.org/ I know there will be people who take things out of context and try to use them to validate their own misconception, but you have access to the whole story. My hope is that others will recognize themselves in my words and have the strength to do what is right for themselves and our shared planet. You can help feed the cats at no cost to you using Amazon Smile! Visit BigCatRescue.org/Amazon-smile You can see photos, videos and more, updated daily at BigCatRescue.org Check out our main channel at YouTube.com/BigCatRescue Music (if any) from Epidemic Sound (http://www.epidemicsound.com) This video is for entertainment purposes only and is my opinion.
Big Cat Rescue's Involvement in ITC Saving Wild Tigers 11/5/09 we were drafting an answer to this question: Here is the question again: How can China's farms be phased out in terms of the animals and facilities themselves, as well as compensation for the owners of the farms? 1. Assessment and Preparation of a Plan for each facility 2. Assessment of existing management regime THE most important thing to do is stop the breeding. Neutering all of the males is quick and cheap. That can be done in just a few minutes by our vet and the biggest cost is the sedation. There is just an overwhelming temptation, from what I see in pseudo sanctuaries, to allow "accidental" breedings so that they have cubs to attract the public. Mandatory castration of existing males and neutering all new cubs at a few weeks of age, will stop the increase of tigers in cages. On 11/6/09 I reported this success from the ITC conference call: Resulting from today's call below. Summary is that we can petition the USFWS to rescind their "generic tiger" exception, so that all tigers have to be approved for breeding and use based upon how that use enhances wild populations. Just rescinding would be very easy, but we also want tougher restrictions on what constitutes enhancement of wild populations and more record keeping and transparency. 12/2/09 we were emailing w/ Judy Mills and IFAW to try and garner votes for the Chase contest which would end up funding ITC for a while. 12/8/09 Leigh Henry, of WWF reported, “things are moving quickly here at WWF on the US tiger issue. It has caught the attention of our leadership team as something we can do as WWFUS in the US for the Year of the Tiger. Our new Sr. VP for Communications seems likely to throw resources behind the effort.” And “News on the FWS front is that, after a successful WWF meeting with Dan Ashe, they have removal of the generic tiger exemption from the CBW permit system slated for the Fed Reg in the first quarter of 2010. “ At the state level we were trying to come up with the Top 5 worst states in regards to captive tigers and I suggested, “If you can only have 5, I would trade SC for NC as that is where T.I.G.E.R.S. is based (and FL) so it would stop the nations largest tiger dealer from being able to move cats back and forth across state lines and having them disappear in his other home state. This is my opinion: The way it works is he says he is sending tigers from his FL facility to SC but no one in SC would ever know or care if they actually arrived, and visa versa. As long as he doesn't openly transfer them with a paper trail to someone else, USDA is clueless as to where the cats are.” 2/25/10 With the wins from the Chase contest Judy posted: “The ITC booth at the CITES CoP, generously sponsored by Big Cat Rescue, will be #R3, located in the foyer of the Sheraton Conference Center. The booth will feature ITC information materials, a continuous feed of ITC videos and tiger-striped giveaways (such as lanyards from which to hang CoP15 identification badges).” 3/12/10 Judy reported from the CITES meeting in Doha, “The ITC booth opened for business today, and delegates, observers and even CITES Secretariat staff already are wearing their CoP15 identification badges on our tiger-striped lanyards. “ 3/13/10 The Peninsula reported, “Over 1,500 delegates representing more than 170 governments, indigenous people, non-governmental organizations and businesses are attending the world conference.” 3/23/13 Judy reported to the ITC, “We had confirmation in this morning's CoP15 Committee II that the following three Decisions will be retained for at least more three years, until CoP16:… 14.69 Parties with intensive operations breeding tigers on a commercial scale shall implement measures to restrict the captive population to a level supportive only to conserving wild tigers; tigers should not be bred for trade in their parts and derivatives.” 3/29/10 Judy reported, “How this played out for tigers”. While the EU's proposal to strengthen the ABC resolution came at the request of the Standing Committee, this fact was lost on the CoP. Because the proposal did not have a range-state co-proponent, China and its allies easily convinced tiger range countries (TRCs) and the CoP that the proposal was being imposed on Asia by the West. China opposed the proposal outright, saying it preferred the voluntary Hua Hin Declaration on Tiger Conservation to a strengthened CITES resolution on ABCs (which included an option for using compliance measures to inspire implementation). India and other TRCs intervened to support China in opposing the EU proposal, citing issues of sovereignty and making commitments to work regionally and bilaterally to stop illegal tiger trade. Fortunately, India and some other TRCs were married to keeping Decision 14.69 against tiger farming in place. Thanks to a great deal of behind-the-scenes effort by India, the UK, the CITES Secretariat, ITC members and others, the decision endured. Highlight: The ITC booth was a big success. It was in a great location, looked inviting, offered a lot on materials of interest to CITES Parties, and attracted many, many delegates, giving us priceless opportunities to relay our messaging and help Parties understand our concerns. WildAid demand-reduction PSAs were a big draw, as were the many tiger-striped souvenirs we gave away. Big Cat Rescue deserves our collective thanks for making the booth possible. “ 4/26/10 The USFWS announces their intention to remove the generic tiger loophole. http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eAgendaViewRule?pubId=201004&RIN=1018-AW81 6/23/10 Lion burgers served at World Cup. 8/12/10 Carole reported to Judy on the 90-Day Finding on a Petition to Delist the Tiger (STATUS REVIEW NOT INITIATED) http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/2010-19895.htm Carole stated, “I may be not understanding this, but looks to me like someone asked to delist the tiger and (although it took them 5 years to figure it out) the USFWS decided that delisting the tiger wasn't warranted. Duh. I really hope they don't take that long to jerk around on rescinding the generic tiger loophole.” 10/22/10 Leigh Henry reported on the WWF and CEQ Tiger Summit Meeting, “ASK – Regulate US Captive Tigers to Ensure They Can't Enter Illegal Trade (Leigh) • US captive tigers linked to international trade issue • Discuss trade threats & need to ensure US tigers not contributing to illegal trade • (background on TCM, wild preference, removal of tigers from official pharmacopeia, etc.) • US tigers – 5,000 (compared to 3,200 in wild), many unwanted, poorly regulated = opportunity • Mention FWS and APHIS recommendations, as well as ask for federal legislation to require an overarching tiger registry • Not just trade threat, but political issue as well – US needs to clean up own backyard to maintain leadership on tiger conservation (CITES Resolution applicable – US noncompliant); mention of China tiger farms and how China points finger at US when asked close farms • Priority – USFWS needs to publish proposed rule in Fed Reg to remove generic tiger exemption BEFORE Summit • Priority – US should create, either under existing or new law, a central reporting system and database for all captive tigers in the US, without exception.” To which Carole responded, “Thank you for such a clear summary and especially for so much focus on ending the captive trade that provides the legal cover for illegal activity.” 11/9/10 Carole responded to Judy's report US State Department Meeting for NGOs in Advance of the International Tiger Forum in Russia, 9 November 2010 by saying, “Thank you so much for the detailed notes. It was almost as good as being there. I take it that USFWS is still sitting on their hands about rescinding the generic tiger loophole for breeders in the U.S.?” 11/9/10 Judy proposed a pre-summit statement along with Colman O'Criodain , Debbie Banks, Grace Gabriel and Kristin Nowell, but Carole suggested this edit, “You guys know a lot more about this than I do, but I feel compelled to ask. I wonder if rewording this: We stand ready to assist and support tiger range countries in developing and implementing strategies that ensure an end to all trade in tiger parts and derivatives. to this: We stand ready to assist and support tiger range countries in developing and implementing strategies that ensure an end to all commercial tiger trade. might be more effective? I don't know how AZA zoos go about "trading" tigers, but am guessing they don't buy or sell them. Since it is very hard to catch people with the parts and derivatives, but easy to catch them with live tigers, then maybe the way to end the trade is to call it "commercial trade" rather than focus on the dead cats. This could help us crack down on all of the breeding for the illegal trade that is being masked by the legal trade.” Carole's language was rejected, but she kept trying. 11/4/10 Responding to Judy's email sending out a news story where India was claiming to be a “founding member of the Global Tiger Initiative” after all of the Indian NGOs pulled out in protest of inclusion of the World Bank, Carole reported, “Great call in this morning and so happy to have you back. I had to leave by 9:46 and you were just starting to get some consensus on the message. Looking forward to the minutes. Will be on Headline News next Friday (not tomorrow) w/ Jane Velez-Mitchell discussing Tony the Truck Stop Tiger and she has another guest, Jane Garrison from LA who will be talking about the Tiger Temple debacle. “ 11/19/10 the final statement by the ITC for the summit was not worded as strongly to protect live tigers as Carole would have liked, but was, “We endorse the stated goal of strengthening the effectiveness of existing tiger-trade bans, with an aim of eradicating all trade in all tiger parts, products and derivatives. This is critical to the achievement of doubling tiger numbers by 2022.” Which at least opened the door to cover live tiger trading. 1/20/11 The Telegraph reports, “China has banned animal circuses and warned its zoos they must stop abusing animals or face closure. The ban will also force zoos to stop selling animal parts in their shops and zoo restaurants will have to stop serving dishes made out of rare animals, another widespread practice. Similarly, zoos will no longer be able to pull the teeth of baby tigers so that tourists can hold them and will have to stop attractions where live chickens, goats, cows and even horses are sold to visitors who can then watch them be torn apart by big cats. …the Chinese government has now issued a total ban, which came into force on Tuesday across the 300 state-owned zoos which are part of the China Zoo Association.” 2/25/11 ThaiVisa.com reported that 6 tiger cubs were seized in a raid of a weapon's dealer and that, “tigers can fetch $30,000 on the black market and despite their endangered status continue to be purchased for their bones and organs used in medicines, while their skins are prized as trophies and ornaments.” 7/28/12 Introduced Judy Mills to Bryan Christy who wrote, The Lizard King. 2/25/12 We offered to help support EIA's efforts for tigers at the upcoming CITES meeting, but they never got back to us with a specific way to help or amount. 3/28/13 Judy wrote to IFAW, Howard and Carole, “I recently returned from nearly three weeks in Bangkok for the CITES CoP. Several countries, including China, brought up US tigers as a “domestic trade” problem equal to or greater than China's tiger farms. One does have to appreciate that at least China knows where its captive tigers are! But this remains a huge red-herring tit-for-tat reason for China to ignore the CITES decision that says tiger farms should be phased out. What transpired in Bangkok was alarming on several fronts. For tigers, the most significant was China and South Africa working toward legalizing rhino-horn trade, which would require China to lift its 1993 ban on trade in tiger bone and rhino horn, opening a Pandora's box of demand for the bones of wild tigers. But I do not write today about tiger farms. I write to you seeking an update on US tigers, as I would like to close my book with an update on what good news may be unfolding. (FYI, there is very good news coming out of China, too, just not from the CITES meeting.) I was interested to read in this morning's New York Times about the continuing battle to retire Tony the Tiger from his truck-stop home in Grosse Tete, Louisiana (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/28/us/truck-stop-tiger-in-louisiana-stirs-legal-battle.html?ref=todayspaper). Any chance he will be living out his final years at Big Cat Rescue? Specifically, I write to ask for updates on the current status of: 1. US legislation to register, monitor and perhaps reduce the population of captive tigers in the United States. 2. The current status of The Baskins v. Joe Schreibvogel and Joe V. Baskins. 3. The current status of Louisiana's Tony the Tiger. (Will he retire at BCR?) Thank you in advance for your time. All my best, Judy” Howard responded, “The federal bill is stronger than "register, monitor, perhaps reduce." The bill would ban breeding and possession, grandfathering in the current population who would die out, with few exceptions. Tracy is the best source for latest. Since the congress ended Dec 31, the bill died and Tracy is working on reintroducing it, along with some amendments. “ Carole responded, “The only way we would end up with Tony is if the state or USDA seized him. That is how we initially became involved in 2009. The Louisiana Dept of Wildlife and Fisheries had cited Sandlin and called me to come get Tony. Sandlin got an injunction to stop us, so we hired an attorney for Tony. After we exhausted the county issue of Sandlin having the tigers illegally since 1993 with the county making a retroactive exception for Sandlin, we didn't think there was any more we could do, but the ALDF then took up the case and remains in court to this day. Michael Sandlin has said that "Hell will freeze over before he would send Tony to Big Cat Rescue." When I spoke with the NYT reporter, he said Sandlin told him that if he sent Tony anywhere, it would be to Joe Schreibvogel. I told the reporter that as bad as I thought that was for Tony, it was still better than being at a Truck Stop. The only thing the reporter wanted to ask me about was whether or not Tony's cage was a sufficient size. I told him that our efforts to remove Tony were not based on the cage size, but the fact that the tiger was suffering the continuous harassment of motorists, their dogs and the noise and fumes of a 24 hour truck stop.” 12/19/13, Sadly, Poaching of tigers in 2013 has been the highest in the past seven years, data compiled by the Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) shows. The seizure of two more tiger skins from Bijrani area of Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand on Monday has taken this year's figure to 39 as against 31 last year. While the total number of tiger deaths at 76 is less compared to last year's 89, the number of poaching cases has shot up much to the dismay of conservationists. “ Hi, I'm Carole Baskin and I've been writing my story since I was able to write, but when the media goes to share it, they only choose the parts that fit their idea of what will generate views. If I'm going to share my story, it should be the whole story. The titles are the dates things happened. If you have any interest in who I really am please start at the beginning of this playlist: http://savethecats.org/ I know there will be people who take things out of context and try to use them to validate their own misconception, but you have access to the whole story. My hope is that others will recognize themselves in my words and have the strength to do what is right for themselves and our shared planet. You can help feed the cats at no cost to you using Amazon Smile! Visit BigCatRescue.org/Amazon-smile You can see photos, videos and more, updated daily at BigCatRescue.org Check out our main channel at YouTube.com/BigCatRescue Music (if any) from Epidemic Sound (http://www.epidemicsound.com) This video is for entertainment purposes only and is my opinion.
2010 Annual Report Big Cat Rescue is more than just a place that provides permanent care for big cats. It is a movement; a change in the tide of human perceptions and is the combined effort of more than 50,000 supporters. If you are one of them, you are a Big Cat Rescuer and the following is the great work YOU did! If you haven't helped yet, you can do so now at the top right of the screen or here: http://bigcatrescue.org/donate.htm Big Cat Rescue's Mission Statement: Big Cat Rescue's dual mission is to provide the best home we can for the cats in our care and educate the public about the plight of these majestic animals, both in captivity and in the wild, to end abuse and avoid extinction. We are Caring for Cats and Ending the Trade Advances: With your help we are winning in the battle for compassion! Up until 2003 the number of requests for rescues we had to turn down due to lack of space or funds had roughly doubled each year, to 312 that year. We feared it would double again to over 500 in 2004. Instead, it has steadily declined since then thanks to the passage of a federal bill and several state bills that restrict the ownership of exotic cats. This year we “only” had to turn away 89 big cats who were unwanted by their owners. We offered to take all of the cats who were cougar size or smaller, if their owners would contract to never own another exotic cat, but they all refused. We just do not have enough Senior Keeper staff to take on more lions or tigers. By now everyone knows that communication and fundraising will be cell phone centric. On April 30, 2009 we added mobile phone number collection to our contact forms and promoted this new request with the Animal Lover's Dream Vacation Giveaway. Our winners said, “It was the most fun we've ever had!” Our new Intranet site established in January 2010 where all of our staff, volunteers, board and vet care professionals can interact and share information. This cloud based system was provided free via a Google grant and enables us to keep all of the sanctuary documents in a password protected cloud where Rescuers can log in and post their observations for the vet and can share photos, videos and stories with each other. Our cloud can be accessed via a dozen or more computers at the sanctuary, Rescuer's home computers, smart phones and iPads. Those who subscribe to the site, such as the CEO, President, Operations Manager and the Vets can see, in real time, as observations are posted about the cats. This insures that there are always many eyes on the look out for ways to enhance the cat care at Big Cat Rescue. Animal Care: By the end of this year, 77 of our 115 cats are over the age of 15. This is well beyond how long they are designed to live in the wild and much older than most zoo cats. This is a testament to the excellent animal care we provide, but we are dealing with many more age related illnesses and are losing more of our big cat friends every year. Cats who required extensive veterinary care in 2010 were Alachua Bob, Bagheera, Bellona, Catera, Cha Cha, Cloe, Crystal, Freckles, Hercules, India, King, Narla, Nirvana, Pretender, Purrfection, Sarmoti, Servie, Snorkel, Sophie, Takoma, Tonga and Windsong. These cats were moved so they would have new neighbors and surroundings for their own enrichment: Freckles, Indian Summer, Modnic, Narla. Nikita & Simba, Peaches, Precious, Reno, Sundari and Thing. Even though we offered to rescue the 19 lesser cats and 3 lions and tigers who were in need of rescue in 2010, Skip, Angelica and Midnight, Rain and Storm the bobcats, Servie the serval, Narla, Freddy and Sassyfrass the cougars were the only ones who ended up here. We found a rehabber for a bobcat in TN as well. The rest did not come here because the owners refused to contract with us to never own exotic cats again. Despite triple bypass heart surgery in August, Vern stayed busy this year with all of the maintenance issues and with these 32 cage improvements: Armani & Jade, Bailey & Moses, Bengali, Calvin, Cameron & Zabu, China & Khan, Crazy Bobcats, Despurrado, Diablo, Flavio, Freckles, Jefferson, Joseph & Sasha, King, Modnic, Nala, Natasha & Willow, Nikita, Nikita & Simba, Rambo, Rehab Bobcats, Sarmoti, TJ, Trick E and Windstar. On 3/18/10 we had another perfect USDA inspection. Education: Our website is primarily an educational tool and according to Alexa we are ranked 266,861 worldwide and 110,338 most visited website in the U.S. We have 458 other sites linking to us. We offer about 58 outreach and field trips per year and have committed to offering 12 of them for free each year to lower income schools, but have already given 25 such free tours this year and expect that demand will continue to rise with the cost of transportation. Even when we offer the tours for free, many schools cannot come because they cannot afford the $200.00 fee for their busses. Our Education Department began writing grant proposals to raise the money needed for the buses. Volunteer Committee Member, Sharyn Beach, was published at Encyclopedia Britannica with the best statement ever written about why breeding white tigers is Conserving a Lie. Our web site addresses local and global concerns about environment and has over 17,000 pages of information, movie clips, sounds, safe interactive online games with a conservation theme and photos. From 1/1/2008 until 9/9/2010 the site was visited 3,642,337 times, resulting in 8,197,155 page views. In any given week the visitors will be roughly 33% from 218 countries outside of the U.S. as you can see from this breakdown: United States 2,757,351, Poland 204,209, Canada 198,127, United Kingdom 127,246, Australia 40,618, India 24,496, Germany 17,428, Japan 13,023, France 11,017, Netherlands 9,593, Philippines 8,559, Singapore 8,545, Sweden 8,177, Italy 8,136, Brazil 8,024, Malaysia 7,793, Spain 7,779, New Zealand 7,740, Ireland 6,788, South Africa 6,697, Mexico 6,554, Belgium 5,994, Russia 5,986, Indonesia 5,627, Finland 5,364 and Turkey 5,248 to name a few. The information provided has helped wildlife rehabilitators identify animals and obtain proper care instruction, helped officials in smuggling cases to identify rare species of exotic cats being illegally traded and those are just a few of the ways that we know the site has had an impact this year. Big Cat Rescue has been in the press 694 times, in 31+ states including AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, GA, FL, HI, IO, IN, IL, KY, LA, MA, MN, MO, MT, NC, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, VA & WA and dozens of programs of national or international coverage or in countries other than the U.S. Legislation/Education: The steady increase in legislation banning private ownership represents recognition by our society that private ownership leads to massive abuse. Social values evolve. It took decades to ban slavery in England and for women to win the right to vote in America. Those ideas started out as “radical”, held by a small minority. Gradually more and more people understood and agreed until they became a part of our value system that we take for granted today. The same trend is happening with private ownership of exotics. Gradually more and more people are realizing that this simply leads to widespread abuse of these animals. The best evidence of this is the accelerating trend in state laws. Just since 2005 eight more states have passed some level of ban. Sweden, Austria, Costa Rica, India, Finland, Bolivia, Greece and Singapore have all banned or restricted the utilization of big cats in circuses-it's time for the U.S. & South Africa to do the same! Nationwide & Canada: Dade City's Wild Things acquired a white tiger cub from G.W. Exotics, a notorious Oklahoma breeder, that they are marketing to the hilt in order to make money off her as quickly as possible. To accomplish that they dragged her into PetSmart to drum up some business. Almost 900 advocates responded to our alert and wrote to PetSmart demanding an end to displays of exotics like this, knowing the bad message it sends. We're very pleased to share that PetSmart listened and immediately responded positively. According to corporate spokesperson Margie Wojciechowski at the Phoenix, AZ headquarters, she confirmed she had just come from a meeting and the company has “reinforced with our managers that no exotic pets are allowed on store premises. There will be no live display of exotic animals for events.” • FL Sept. 1, 2010: The Florida Wildlife Commission passes final rules on the keeping of wild animals. • FL June 23, 2010: Thanks to thousands of letters from Big Cat AdvoCats the Florida Wildlife Commission agreed to change the wording of their Nuisance Wildlife rules so that bobcats who are trapped as nuisance wildlife may not be killed, but rather must be released. While our 2,000+ letters asked that bobcats be removed from the list of nuisance wildlife we are still thankful that the FWC has decided to at least spare the life of bobcats who are trapped this way. We will continue to educate the FWC and the public as to why bobcats are so necessary to our ecosystem so that they may soon be removed from the list of animals that may be trapped. • FL June 23, 2010: Animal AdvoCats vs Animal Terrorists. The FWC agreed to ban the practice of “fox penning” which was a blood sport in 16 locations in FL where foxes, coyotes and bobcats would be trapped or purchased from trappers to be turned loose in fenced areas for the purpose of training hunting dogs. Packs of dogs would be turned loose in the pens and scored on how persistant they were in chasing the wildlife. The FWC had rules that required hiding places for the wildlife, but investigators found that the operators would often block the access to the safety areas so that the foxes, coyotes and bobcats could be cornered and ripped apart by the dogs for the amazement and betting opportunities of the dog owners. For the first time in the history of the FWC meetings that we have attended since 1993 there were more animal advocates than animal terrorists in the room to testify. 52 concerned citizens spoke up in favor of a ban while only 20 animal abusers / hunters spoke up in favor of continuing the blood sport as part of their “cultural heritage and God given right.” As more of these egregious practices are exposed we expect the number of main stream Americans who show up and speak up to increase. • FL June 3, 2010: Thanks to thousands of letters from Big Cat AdvoCats the legislature amended Florida Statutes 379.374 Bond required, amount. (2) No person, party, firm, association, or corporation shall possess or exhibit to the public either with or without charge or admission fee, any Class I wildlife, as defined in s. 379.303 and commission rule, without having first guaranteed financial responsibility, in the sum of $10,000, for any liability which may be incurred in the possession or exhibition to the public of Class I wildlife. The commission shall adopt, by rule, the methods of payment that satisfy the financial responsibility, which may include cash, the establishment of a trust fund, an irrevocable letter of credit, casualty insurance, a corporate guarantee, or any combination thereof, in the sum of $10,000 which shall be posted with the commission. In lieu of the $10,000 financial responsibility guarantee required in this subsection, the person, party, firm, association, or corporation has the option to maintain comprehensive general liability insurance, with minimum limits of $2 million per occurrence and $2 million annual aggregate, as shall protect the person, party, firm, association, or corporation from claims for damage for personal injury, including accidental death, as well as claims for property damage which may arise. Proof of such insurance shall be submitted to the commission. Effective July 1, 2010. In 2009 there were 111 Class I possessors in FL who managed to escape the bond requirement because they claimed they were not “exhibitors.” This new language was necessary to close the loophole in the 2007 law so that all “possessors” of Class I animals must post this minimal bond. • OH July 1, 2010: A deal struck between The Humane Society of the United States, Ohio agriculture leaders and Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland will lead to major animal welfare improvements in Ohio on a raft of issues to protect exotic, domestic and farmed animals. The agreement includes recommendations from all of the parties for the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Care Board, the Legislature, and the Governor to ban the acquisition of dangerous exotic animals as pets, such as primates, bears, lions, tigers, large constricting and venomous snakes, crocodiles and alligators. • China October 27, 2010: The Ministry of Housing & Urban/Rural Development suggested in an official web posting that zoos should adequately feed and house animals, should stop selling wild animal products and serving wild animal parts in restaurants, and should stop staging circus-like trained animal acts. The authorities report that zoos could be shut down for non compliance. This is the first step toward permanent laws to protect the animals. • Germany June 17, 2010: The zoo director and three of the staff at the Magdeburg Zoo were convicted of cruelty to animals for killing three tiger cubs who were the result of a cross breeding tigers at the zoo. The zoo had bred a Siberian tiger to a Sumatran tiger. All of the tigers in the U.S. that are referred to as Bengal tigers are actually hybrids of Bengal and Siberian tigers as the result of the white tiger craze when Bengal tigers were inbred to the point of non existence in America. A fine of 8,000 euros was suspended upon the condition that the zoo not kill cubs as the result of their own improper breeding plans. The Magdeburg zoo case drew attention to the common practice of zoos breeding and killing animals to keep youngsters on exhibit. • Russia November 29, 2010: Russia is now filing a bill for an exotic pet ban like other countries have passed. Despite Prime Minister Vladimir Putin having a pet tiger named Mashenka, the country is working on passing a bill that would restrict the ownership of monkeys, tigers, and crocodiles, because of their danger to the public and diseases they can carry, according to the bill that was submitted on Nov. 29, 2010 Thanks to all of you who wrote letters, attended town hall meetings and met with your lawmakers, the world is a little kinder place. Many of the worst breeders, dealers and tiger-tamer-wanabees were finally shut down. Most of these collectors were fined or shut down by USDA or the state, or both in some cases: You can read the USDA reports and news stories at http://www.911AnimalAbuse.com 134,704 letters were sent via our CatLaws.com site in 2010 which is triple the year before. We now have 44,606 members registered to help us with email campaigns. Thanks to all of our supporters being more aware of exotic cat issues and doing something about it, the wild cats had a lot of wins in 2010. Only bans on the possession of private ownership of wild animals are fully enforceable but any step forward in restricting ownership is helpful. For more details go to BigCatBans. Animal Abusers Shut Down and / or Fined: Many of the worst breeders, dealers and tiger-tamer-wanabees were finally shut down. The following is from 2008- 2010. Most of these collectors were fined or shut down by USDA or the state, or both in some cases: • CA: Hesperia Zoo AKA Cinema Safari Zoo owned by Stephanie Taunton was put on probation and fined $30,000 by USDA. • FL: Horseshoe Creek owned by Darryl Atkinson was shut down by USDA and FL. • FL: Wild Things' land owned by Kathy Stearns went into foreclosure and bankruptcy. • FL: Amazing Exotics was shut down. It was notorious for allowing contact between large exotic cats and the public for a fee. The head of their tiger-tamer-wanabee program was Ron Holiday (real name Ron Guay) who gained fame in the HBO movie Cat Dancers and the book by the same name. His career in dancing with big cats ended when a white tiger he had raised from a cub killed his wife and his lover within a few days of each other in 1998. • FL: In 2010 Jeff and Barbara Harrod of Vanishing Species lost both their USDA and FWC licenses. • FL: In 2010 Thomas R. Cronin of the Shell Factory was sanctioned by USDA for improper handling of animals, poor sanitation and lack of vet care. • IN: Great Cats of Indiana, formerly known as Cougar Valley Farms, Inc., owned by Robert B. Craig and Laura Proper had their license revoked by USDA. • IN: Ervin's Jungle Wonders owned by Ervin Hall was shut down by USDA for a three year term. • KS: In 2010 Clint Perkins of Riverside Zoological Park lost his USDA license to exhibit tigers and was fined for violations. • MO: Wesa-A-Geh-Ya owned by Sandra Smith was shut down after a visitor lost his leg to a tiger. • MS: Cougar Haven closed its doors for good, sending the last 3 big cats to Big Cat Rescue. • NC: Metrolino Wildlife Park owned by Steven Macaluso was shut down by USDA. • NE: Zoo Nebraska was ordered to find appropriate homes for their big cats and bears. • OH: Pearson's L & L Exotics owned by Lorenzo Pearson was shut down by USDA following six years of violations. • SC: In 2010 Robert Childress dba Quality Equipment was fined by USDA for lack of care for tigers. • TX: Zoo Dynamics, owned by Marcus Cook was fined $100,000.00 • TX: In 2010 Jamie Palazzo of Great Cat Adventures had their USDA license suspended for 3 years. • TX: Wild Animal Orphanage closed their doors in September 2010 after investigation the Attorney General for fraudulent fundraising practices. 363 animals, mostly big cats and primates, are being disbursed to other sanctuaries. Three of the tigers are coming to Big Cat Rescue. • Australia: Craig Bush, the “Lion Man” was ousted from the Zion Wildlife Gardens by his mom. Fundraising and Marketing: Two Legacy Society donations over $100,000 each helped make this the best financial year ever for the sanctuary. The first was a bequest from the estate of Terry Nordblom for $110,000. The second was a matching grant of $200,000 in memory of William and Lois Modglin of Glendale, California. Final financial numbers will not be available until after our annual audit in the spring, but estimates will be posted here in late January after we reconcile the December statements. 2010 began using Posterous.com to post to 16 of our major social networking sites at once. We currently operate 333 social networking sites. 2010 we began using Traffic Geyser which increased our web traffic 24%. Big Cat Rescue was reported favorably in the news 111 times in 2010 which in a 20% increase over 2009. Some of the national press included shows on Animal Planet, Discovery and the History Channel in addition to such publications as National Geographic and the New York Post and major media coverage in several other countries as well. The Fur Ball netted over $80,000.00! Over 650 big cat supporters had a blast at the Fur Ball; dining, dancing, playing the Wheel of Fur-Tune casino table and bidding in the silent auction and live auctions. Spirited bidders in the live auction won exotic trips see lions in South Africa, and many other wild and exotic places. We had 26,154 visitors this year. Our BigCatRescue.org website visitors rose to 1,660,550 but the site was temporarily replaced for two months. During those two months (Jul-Aug) we did not have any tracking service on the replacement site. We plan to re launch the replacement site in January 2011. Google awarded Big Cat Rescue a grant of $40,000 per month in free AdWords. People who love animals love to share their photos and stories. In 2008 Big Cat Rescue unleashed a Chat Big Cats community. Members can post their own blogs, or join in our forums and contests. It is a YouTube/ MySpace styled community made up entirely of animal lovers. By year end there were 4,129 members and 107,374,194,388 videos, songs, photos and blogs posted to the site. (blows my mind too!) Get in on the action free at http://www.chatbigcats.com YouTube. We ended the year as the 6th most viewed Non Profit of all time and the 7th most subscribed Non Profit with 22,393 subscribers and 669,725 channel views and a whopping 20,685,511 upload views. Up 500% from 2009. By year end we had 412 videos posted on YouTube and other popular sites like google, Blip, MetaCafe, Revver and others. http://www.youtube.com/bigcatrescue YouTube Mini Clip Site: DailyBigCat was launched Nov. 20, 2010 to provide a channel for the mini clips we upload directly from our iPhones. By year end this site had 248 subscribers, 5,046 channel views and 25,812 total upload views. Our MySpace account now has 7,625 friends. myspace.com/ We surpassed 36,000 fans on Face Book which is a 500% increase over 2009 as well. We also enhanced our presence on Care2.org and many other such sites. We now have 359 contacts in our LinkedIn presence here: linkedin.com/in/BigCatRescue Big Cat Rescue now has an Endowment Fund to provide a secure future for the cats. The Fund resides at the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay. bigcatrescue.org/communityfoundationoftampabay.htm We initiated a program with Capitol One so that you can choose one of our beautiful cats for your credit card image and 1% of all of your purchases will be donated to Big Cat Rescue at no cost to you. Saving Wild Places for Wild Cats Leonardo DiCaprio Protects Tigers: Big Cat Rescue continued working with the International Tiger Coalition, which is a group of 40+ organizations committed to saving the tiger, based upon our unique ability to address the captive issues that imperil tigers in the wild. The goal is 10,000 tigers in the wild in 10 years. There are less than 3,000 in the wild currently and we are losing one per day due to poaching. We persuaded ITC to keep US tiger farming issue as part of their mission to eradicate because legalized trade puts even more pressure on wild populations. What makes this initiative unlike all of the past programs is two fold. 40+ major conservation groups, including Big Cat Rescue, have joined forces with one common goal: Save the tiger in the wild. There have been other joint efforts, but none this large and never before has an entity as powerful as the World Bank been a committed partner in saving wild places for wild animals. Big Cat Rescue sponsored the ITC booth at CITES and sponsored the attendance of the ITC Moderator, Judy Mills at the Tiger Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia. Leonardo DiCaprio attended as well and met with Prime Minister Putin. DiCaprio donated 1 million dollars to WWF's fund for saving the tiger. 23 FL Panthers died in 2010 but 90 were born according to FWC. Big Cat Rescue is stepping up our support of local initiatives to save the Florida Panther. Helping Others: America's injured veterans have found Big Cat Rescue a place of tranquility where they can surround themselves with beauty and grace; a respite from all that they have endured protecting our country. It started with one group and now they come to visit quite frequently. It's on the house and we provide lunch when we can as well by asking donors to contribute. They have done their part in keeping Americans free and we are doing our part to fight for that same freedom for the big cats. Then and Now: Our CFO, Howard Baskin, compiled a ten year snapshot of the sanctuary and its growth. This is just a comparison between 1996 and 2010. Wildlife on Easy Street to Big Cat Rescue 1996 2010 Visitors 85 26,128 Total Expenses $1,686,386 * $1,363,443 Total Income $0 $2,245,798 Total Net Assets $148,455 $4,881,165 Spent on Program Services 100% 83% ** *funded by Founder ** 17% spent on Management and Fundraising combined Officers and Members of the Board of Directors in 2010 and meetings: • CEO and Founder Carole Baskin (not compensated by BCR) • President and Chairman of the Board Jamie Veronica (not compensated by BCR for her role as a Director) • Secretary & Treasurer Howard Baskin (not compensated by BCR for his role as a Director) • Director Lisa Shaw (not compensated by BCR) Director • Mary Lou Geis (not compensated by BCR) These members met or plan to meet for monthly board meetings at the dates and places below: Monthly board meeting, Tampa, FL; Feb 7, May 2, Aug 1, Nov 7 Paid Staff: • Operations Manager & Volunteer Coordinator • Gale Ingham Staff Manager, • Editor & Creative Director Jamie Veronica • Gift Shop & Guest Services Honey Wayton • Intern Recruiter & Data Management Chelsea Feeny • Education Director Dr. Beth Kamhi and her assistant Willow Hecht • Vernon Stairs Cage Builder and Maintenance • Scott Haller Cage Building Apprentice and Maintenance • Videographer and Social Networking Chris Poole • Director of Donor Appreciation Jeff Kremer • Assistant to Operations Manager and Staff Relief Person Jennifer Flatt • CFO Howard Baskin • LaWanna Mitchell is an independent contractor who works remotely on web issues. All of our animal care is done by volunteers or by staff who also volunteer time before & after work. Volunteers: Big Cat Rescue had 107 volunteers in 2010 who clocked in 56,411 man-power hours in addition to staff, 31 interns and Volunteer Committee member hours. Our interns came from 10 states and 8 countries. Volunteers and interns provided roughly the equivalent workforce of 30 more full time staff. Staff and Volunteer Training: We want to say a special thank you to all of our staff & volunteers who have just completed their 10th year of service to the cats. I've been writing my story since I was able to write, but when the media goes to share it, they only choose the parts that fit their idea of what will generate views. If I'm going to share my story, it should be the whole story. The titles are the dates things happened. If you have any interest in who I really am please start at the beginning of this playlist: http://savethecats.org/ I know there will be people who take things out of context and try to use them to validate their own misconception, but you have access to the whole story. My hope is that others will recognize themselves in my words and have the strength to do what is right for themselves and our shared planet. You can help feed the cats at no cost to you using Amazon Smile! Visit BigCatRescue.org/Amazon-smile You can see photos, videos and more, updated daily at BigCatRescue.org Check out our main channel at YouTube.com/BigCatRescue Music (if any) from Epidemic Sound (http://www.epidemicsound.com) This video is for entertainment purposes only and is my opinion.
Please join host Patrick Sprehe as he welcomes Judy Mills to Center Cuts. Judy discusses her life growing up in small towns, some early music experiences, her decision to start a record store, and how her record store and book store have adapted to the pandemic. Judy also shares her thoughts about what makes KC special, and how we can use honest conversations to improve the music industry. millsrecordcompany.com wisebloodbooksellers.com Each episode will focus on the guest's life, career in the music industry, great things about Kansas City, and areas of need in the KC music industry with suggested courses of action for improvement. Hope you can join us!
This episode we zoom talked with Judy Mills, owner of Mills Record Company (@MillsRecords) and Wise Blood Booksellers (@wisebloodkc). We talked about growing up in small towns, learning to follow what you want, mansplaining, music, BTS and we even did a Top 5. The Badass Lady we talked about is Alice Coltrane, American Jazz musician and composer.Our featured charity is One Struggle KC. You can find them on FaceBook, Twitter and IG: @1strugglekcWe were sippin on everyones favorite beer, Tank 7 by BoulevardYou can find us on Twitter and IG @TLALPodcast and by email tlalpcast@gmail.com
Into The Word is a one night only in-depth Bible study teaching for women. February 10, 2020 Judy Mills led us in discussing Using the Word of God in Warfare. Sometimes the struggles we endure are spiritual battles in disguise. Though we strive to power through, we see little victory because our man-made methods (even […] The post Into the Word – Using the Word of God in Warfare appeared first on Johnson Ferry Women's Ministry.
It's Episode 4 of the Record Store Day Podcast, and you've got a friend in us. After an exciting RSD Black Friday, Paul touches base with old friends and new ones, as we step into the Holidays with new music and conversations with Kiefo Nilsson, who talks about playing on his dad Harry Nilsson's first album in nearly 40 years, Losst And Founnd, then former Barenaked Ladies singer Steven Page talks about driving downtown in the rain to visit the late-night record shops and shares a bit of his recent album Discipline: Heal Thyself, Pt. II, and in a new feature, Judy Mills of Mills Record Company calls in from her store in Kansas City, MO, to talk about record store culture and being a female boss. Sponsored as always by Dogfish Head Craft Brewery dogfish.com.
One woman was a Prison Fellowship Angel Tree Volunteer, the other was a young teen, who didn't believe in God, taking care of her younger siblings while her mother was in prison. Listen to find out how God used Judy Mills and Angel Tree in the life of Michelle Rainey as Wayne Shepherd talks with both women.
One woman was a Prison Fellowship Angel Tree Volunteer, the other was a young teen, who didn't believe in God, taking care of her younger siblings while her mother was in prison. Listen to find out how God used Judy Mills and Angel Tree in the life of Michelle Rainey as Wayne Shepherd talks with both women.
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