A Wildlife Sanctuary

Something different this week. Instead of the regular news update, this week I'm proud to host a guest post from Tammy Quist Thies, director of The Wildcat Sanctuary, a no-kill rescue facility that provides home to a number of wild and big cats. Many of these wild cats have lived a life of neglect or mistreatment and are rescued by this wonderful facility that gives them shelter, care and the love that they deserve. Please take some time to read the following lines by Tammy about the sanctuary...

I’d like to introduce you to The Wildcat Sanctuary, a 501(c) (3) non-profit, located in Sandstone, Minnesota. My name is Tammy Quist Thies and I am the founder and Director of the sanctuary.

The Wildcat Sanctuary is a no-kill rescue facility that provides for the humane rescue and sheltering of unwanted, mistreated, and neglected privately owned wildcats that pose a risk to public safety. We do not buy, breed, trade or sell animals. TWS is committed to public education about the captive wildlife crisis; offering veterinarian training opportunities; and supporting legislative solutions to the public safety issues created by private ownership of wild animals.

At TWS, animals are never bought, sold, bred, traded, or mistreated in anyway. Each resident is given every opportunity to behave naturally in a wonderfully humane environment for life. We provide habitats not cages for the cats complete with pools, perches and temperature controlled buildings. The Sanctuary is the only accredited big cat sanctuary in the Upper Midwest. The vision and need for The Wildcat Sanctuary has garnered endorsements from the Minnesota Zoo and the University of Minnesota’s Veterinary Care Program.

TWS has earned a national reputation for excellence in rescuing and housing captive wildcats while providing a unique service to animal control officers, local sheriff departments, humane societies as well as the Department of Natural Resources and the US Fish & Wildlife Service.

Unfortunately, hundreds to thousands of exotic cats are sold to roadside zoos and to individuals as pets. A surprising number of people are buying these wild animals as cubs, without understanding the difficulties involved in caring for and containing them properly as they mature into adults. The results can be tragic for the owner, the public and the animal. The exotic pet trade causes more suffering for big cats than poaching, loss of habitat and all other atrocities combined.

Meet Liberty, a cougar rescued from a rural farm. Liberty was no larger than a lynx. She was emaciated and dehydrated. We couldn't get over how small in stature this cougar was. The owner who was a vet technician explained that she had fed only milk to Liberty her first year of life and that Liberty had fractured both of her back legs which had gone untreated. Liberty cannot extend her back legs completely; she has a severe curvature of the spine and pelvis. The tops of her ears were dangling by a small amount of flesh but were about to fall off. She had urine burns on both sides of her tail.

The owner said Liberty wasn't eating or drinking very well. But Liberty ate four times the first night she arrived at TWS and eight additional meals the next day. She continues to love her food and has put on weight each day. Liberty weighed 45 lbs. upon arrival at TWS. This is the size of a six- month-old cougar - Liberty is six years old.

Though Liberty's journey has been rough, she finally has a life that will ring true to her name. She has become such a social cougar and her chirp can be heard constantly. For a small girl, she sure shows Raja her cougar cage mate, who is boss. She has become a favorite at The Wildcat Sanctuary and she reminds us everyday how important our work is.

Our sanctuary relies solely on public donations. Individuals and businesses can get can help support the cats through different sponsorship, donation, and volunteer programs. Our motto is they will never know freedom, but with your help, they can know compassion. Visit Wildcatsanctuary.org today to learn more and to meet all the cats that call The Wildcat Sanctuary home.

Tammy Quist Thies
Director
http://www.wildcatsanctuary.org
PO Box 314
Sandstone, MN 55072
(320) 245-6871



Thank you all for reading about this great facility that is doing so much for abandoned and abused wild felines. Through our interaction, I've felt that many of you fellow bloggers and readers care deeply for the threatened cats and want to make a difference by helping them out. Here is an opportunity to do so. If you find time, kindly do visit the website of The Wildcat Sanctuary and maybe even help out the magnificent cats they are caring for by going here.

I'll be back next week with a regular news post. Until then, have a great time and take care :)