Showing posts with label tiger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tiger. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Special Events at Safe Haven Rescue Zoo

Photo: Matthew B. Brown
BY KRISTEN KABRIN

Safe Haven Rescue Zoo is a wildlife sanctuary located in Imlay. We provide rehabilitative services and permanent placement for wildlife in need. We respond to assistance requests from state and federal agencies, law enforcement, veterinarians, and concerned citizens.

Many of our wild residents are former exotic pets. Several have come to Safe Haven as the result of major rescue efforts coordinated by agencies and sanctuaries nationwide.

Why do we put so much effort into our special events? While there are many reasons, we think Max, one of our rescued cougars, speaks volumes on the importance of bringing awareness to our organization.

Max’s Story:

The feel of the sun on my face, the earth beneath my paws, the tall grass swaying along my flank—these are the simple pleasures I never knew I was missing! The first ten years of my life were spent in a cramped and filthy 10 x 12 stall in a privately owned barn warehousing many other exotic cats just like me. For ten long years I could catch only a glimpse of the outside world, a hint of a fresh breeze, sometimes, through our single grimy window. Although a cougar can live twenty years or more, I had no expectation of that as I watched my fellow inmates languish and sometimes die. Dirty water, not enough food, no veterinary care, it took its toll on us. Sometimes we even lashed out at each other. If I stood on my hind legs to look out the window, I risked injury from my neighbor, a much larger and stronger African lion. Each lonely day passed like all the others—I paced my cramped quarters, I worried about my neighbors, I faced the high stall walls surrounding me and I wondered if there would be food today.


Photo: Matthew B. Brown
But I am one of the lucky ones, one of the survivors. Rescue came in time and now my life here at Safe Haven is beyond anything I could have imagined. I have room to run and play, to chase my own boomer ball at top speed, to pounce from hiding and scare my laughing caregivers, to dance through the grass and bask in the warmth of a sun so bright I have to squint my eyes. I have a healthy diet and endless fresh drinking water. I can rest well in the clean straw of my protected den – no more nightmares of the long arm of the lion next door reaching out towards me while I sleep! Oh, I still have lions for neighbors, but it is not at all the same. A safe and secure distance away, Kovu and Ifaw are interesting neighbors to watch and listen to. The sights and smells and sounds of Safe Haven, my new family of lions, tigers, servals, coyotes, foxes, bobcats, lynxes, and yes, even another cougar or two, are becoming comforting and familiar. We trade our stories quietly at night, a low trill exchanged between enclosures, a roar at past indignities, a growl at remembered hardship, the peaceful purr of thanks. We all remember and we are all grateful for a Safe Haven future full of joy and happiness.

Max was one of nine other cougars, nine African lions, and one tiger rescued from a Texas pole barn, discovered after the owner passed away from cancer. The cats were housed in 10 x 12 horse stalls with one single window—never going outside.  

Upcoming events that will help Max and his fellow Safe Haven residents:

Month of October
Location: Rapscallions Seafood House and Bar
Eat at Rapscallions during the month of October and mention Safe Haven when paying your bill. Twenty percent of the food portion of your tab will be donated to Safe Haven at the end of the month.

October 12, 2013
Tiger Dash!
Time 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Location: Safe Haven (Imlay, NV)
Activities: 5k race/walk, vendors, enrichment demonstrations, guided tours of facility, lunch, and silent auction
Cost: varies from $10-25 per person for race; Vendors-$50
Must complete registration form: www.safehavenwildlife.com

November 2, 2013
Open House
Time:  2:00-6:00 p.m.
Location: Safe Haven (Imlay, NV)
Activities:  guided tours, enrichment demonstrations, hors d'oeurves and beverages.
Cost: FREE

November 17, 2013
Full Moon Tour
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Safe Haven (Imlay, NV)
Activity: Tour of facility and enrichment demonstrations
Cost: $15 for adults, $5 for kids 12 and younger (Advanced registration is required)

Safe Haven is a Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS) verified wildlife rescue sanctuary. GFAS collaborates with other US accredited animal rescue groups when a facility is shut down or in this case, animals discovered in need of immediate placement.  Safe Haven provides these "forever home" to abandoned and illegally owned exotics to allow them to finish their lives in dignity.

Contact:
E-mail: safehavenwildlife1@gmail.com
safehavenwildlife.com
Telephone: 775-538-7093

Monday, July 1, 2013

Nevada Magazine Announces 2013 Best of Nevada Winners


Nevada Magazine has released the results of its 2013 Best of Nevada readers' survey. The survey spans 16 categories and includes golf courses, museums, restaurants, and state parks.

In most cases, winners are divided into three subcategories: North, South, and Rural. The top vote-getter was Peppermill Resort Spa Casino in Reno, which took honors in the North category for Casino, Hotel, Nightclub (EDGE), and Wedding Venue.

“We are excited about the enthusiasm our readers have for the State of Nevada,” said Janet Geary, publisher of Nevada Magazine. Many businesses and attractions leveraged social media to campaign for their categories. “The power of social networking is evident with surveys such as our annual Best of Nevada,” added Geary.

Carson City's Casino Fandango was a multiple-category winner as well for Buffet (Rum Jungle Buffet) and Casino. Terry Lee Wells Nevada Discovery Museum in Reno received recognition in the Museum and (best) Place to Take the Kids categories. Reno's Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe again garnered top honors in the Ski Resort category, which is not divided into subcategories.

Photo: Cindy Joyce
In food categories, Toucan Charlie’s Buffet & Grille (Atlantis Casino Resort Spa in Reno) and Carnival World Buffet (Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas) were the other Buffet winners. Cactus Creek Prime Steakhouse (Bonanza Casino in Reno), Mon Ami Gabi (Paris Las Vegas), and The Star Hotel in Elko won in the Restaurant category.

A complete Best of Nevada 2013 list is published in the current July/August 2013 issue of Nevada Magazine, on newsstands now, and on nevadamagazine.com.

Also in the current issue are stories about backcountry lakes, rural Nevada campgrounds, wildlife sanctuaries, the monarch butterfly, and a History story about the state's innovative Mobile Museum that traveled around Nevada in the 1950s and '60s.