Animal Care

A Passion Fueled By Fire

Originally published in:
Weber State University on October 30, 2020

Written by By Taylor Benincosa, Wildcat Ridge Sanctuary - Carnivore Keeper

Working at a nonprofit animal sanctuary as a carnivore keeper tends to be an adventure every day. The opportunity to be innovative and creative when it comes to solving problems presents itself quite often. September 8, 2020, was no exception. After large wind storms, the night before, another keeper and I went into work expecting to repair the damage done to enclosures, get the power in our barn back on, and care for all the animals. While preparing diets, we received an unexpected phone call telling us that a wildfire was rapidly spreading, and we needed to begin evacuating the facility immediately. The smoke became more prominent over the property as we began moving animals to a different location as quickly as possible. The bright red skies made everything feel so eerie and dangerous.

I'll never forget the look in the tigers' eyes while we waited for their transport crates to be ready. The fear I saw within them was heartbreaking.

After two days, we had evacuated 70 plus animals off of the Wildcat Ridge Sanctuary property, including tigers, lions, cougars, bobcats, servals, cheetahs, and domestic/hybrid cats. We spent the next two weeks dividing our team-up between a makeshift triage shelter created with the help of amazing volunteers at a barn far away from potential danger, as well as Wildlife Safari. Wildlife Safari is a facility we reached out to who offered to house our 14 big cats until we were able to return to the sanctuary. I can't express my gratitude to everyone who stepped in to help during the chaos, especially after having to evacuate my own home in the middle of it all. After a month of temporary housing, we are finally all moved back home. Seeing the big cats recognize their own enclosures and feel safe enough to play and sleep belly up out in their yards was one of the most rewarding things I've ever experienced.

Growing up, I always wanted to be like the people I watched on Animal Planet: the ASPCA who saved animals from natural disasters or unfit living conditions, Steve Irwin and his knowledge of wildlife and how to protect them, and the zookeepers who worked closely with exotic animals. This passion for animals inspired me to pursue a zoology degree and find work at a facility that cares for animals who came from abuse. These animals have faced so much already in life, an example being our lionesses who were bred by the infamous Joe Exotic, that keeping them safe during this unexpected situation was incredibly important. It was eye-opening to see how deeply this passion was rooted within me when faced with an emergency situation.

Adapting to uncertainty and fear was easy when it meant that these animals would be out of danger if I kept going.

Find what you are passionate about, live your life knowing that you are making a difference, and keep fighting for your dreams.

I never expected to experience the things I have in this field, but I'm grateful for every moment of it.

Posted by Taylor Benincosa in Blog

Operation: Big Cat Rescue

Published in:
Our Town North on November 1, 2020

Written by By Melissa Wagoner

"I've moved a lot of off-the-wall things," Eric Tremble, owner of the Two Men and a Truck franchise in Beaverton, told Our Town. "But no, we typically do not move live animals of any sort. Mostly we specialize in residential, home-to-home moves or business moves. That's really what we specialize in."

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Posted by Stefanie Kraus in Blog

Cairo Serval – Saved By A Good Samaritan

On May 9th I received a message from a friend who was worried about wild cats escaping from a home in his area. The photo he sent was one of a Savannah Cat. The owner's number was posted and I called to ask if they ever wanted to place him we would be happy to take him. He politely declined said the cat had been caught. When I asked how he had gotten out so many times he said the cat could open doors. We talked a bit more and he shared that they still have a serval on the loose.

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Posted by Cheryl Tuller in Blog

A Rescue Story – Part 2: Four Servals and a Jungle Cat

Additional Rescues?

Chobe, Kariba, and Taji all started to settle in beautifully into their new homes, and we thought that we could go back to our daily routines. But we were wrong. Wildlife Waystation was about to close its doors permanently, and all animals needed to find homes as soon as possible.

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Posted by Cheryl Tuller in Blog

A Rescue Story – Part 1: Two Lion Queens and a Serval

Wildlife Waystation in Sylmar, California had been home to more than 400 animals including big cats, chimpanzees and more. Because of numerous infractions and internal management issues, The Board of Directors surrendered the license they held to have the animals, and the California Department of Wish and Wildlife was faced with the monumental task of finding new homes for all residents.
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Posted by Cheryl Tuller in Blog

Shirley at OSU

On Tuesday, April 2nd the team at OSU’s Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine which included Dr. Ron Mandsager, Dr. Katy Townsend and lots more staff whose names I can’t remember, did a complete exam on Shirley. They drew blood, did a physical exam, pulled urine, did a CT Scan and ultrasound as well as the staff from the Cardiology Department coming down to monitor her heart.

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Posted by Cheryl Tuller in Blog

Vet Visit Scheduled for Shirley at OSU

We wanted to share that tomorrow Shirley is going Oregon State University’s Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine for a complete exam and CT scan. I’d be lying if I said we’re confident that the exam will show nothing major and we will have more time with her before we have to say good-bye. It’s imperative that we find out about the issues she’s been having. The keepers work hard to give her a variety of food to determine what she likes the most, although it changes all the time. Some days she eats good and some days not so good.​​​​​​​
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Posted by Cheryl Tuller in Blog

What was wrong with Nora?

Nora is usually a happy-go-lucky tiger who races to greet us every morning, loves to play and, of course, eat! Our keepers know all the cats very well so they could tell immediately that something was amiss.
Posted by Cheryl Tuller in Blog