It has almost been three weeks since I returned to Big Cat Rescue. Those weeks went by in a flurry, filled with amazing experiences, hard work, lots of fun but also some very sad moments.

It certainly was a bit like coming home, everyone welcomed me with open arms, and it was wonderful to see familiar faces and friends.

Last week, I felt like I made a real difference with one of my private tours: A couple visited from another state, and, when checking in, the woman very excitedly told me that they just went to a place where “…you can go in with the tiger cubs, get your pictures taken and hold and pet them.” She proceeded to show me pictures of herself with a variety of baby tigers and even a liger. My heart sunk, since these are organizations where people exploit the animals to make money.
I knew that I shouldn’t come across as too preachy or harsh, since this might put people into a defensive mode. So, I started by saying that our philosophy is quite the opposite, and that we believe that the animals and their needs should come first. We went on the tour and I tried to gently educate them, raise awareness and be positive along the way. Halfway through the tour the woman said that she now understands the issue and that she feels really bad about the other place they visited.
My answer was that we are all learning as we go through life, and that I wasn’t aware of many issues before working at BCR. At the end of the tour, both her her and her husband signed the petition and took the number to call their representative.
It makes me happy and proud that I was able to gently educate without offending or coming across as preachy.

One of the happiest moments during my first week was to say hi to “my boy” Pretender. He walked right over to me when I came to greet him, and I think he might have recognized my voice.

Pharaoh, another one of my favorite cats did his leap onto the platform, followed by excited post-scratching and an arched back – he seemed happy to see me as well.

A very sad day, however, was when China Doll passed away. She was one of the friendliest tigers here at the sanctuary, and her chuffing in the morning always made volunteers feel welcome. Her passing came quite suddenly, and she is survived by her best friend, Shere Khan. It’s heartbreaking to see the partner of a cat who passed away, they often call out for their friend and they seem so sad and lonely. But this is the reality at a sanctuary, where cats live until the end.

My heart goes out to all the long-term volunteers and caretakers, some of them have known China Doll since she arrived at the sanctuary in 1995.