Big Cat Habitat and Gulf Coast Sanctuary launched our $1 Dollar Drive yesterday and we wanted to discuss where part of that money will go if we reach our goal. $350,000 of that will be going to new and larger animal habitats. We have so many more animals than we use to and they need new habitats. Unfortunately, when the economy fell apart we lost our corporate sponsors and it was at this time that we needed help creating larger habitats.

We need to create new, outside habitats with an inside, storm-proof, protected area for our big cats. Each of these habitats needs a tiger pool as well. We need a new aviary for our birds and money to go towards our elephant enclosure. Our animals need more room and we are hoping to make this happen with donations from our $1 Dollar Drive.  If you contribute $1 we would appreciate it.

We Thank You

We thank everyone that visits that habitat because that money supports the animals and is saved for improvements. We thank everyone that donates money, drops off and/or donates food and those that donate items we need. We thank all of our volunteers because we couldn’t make it without you and we thank our staff who work for hard for not a lot of money. God bless you and all of our animals.

If we can get 1 million people to donate one dollar we can improve our habitat, take in more animals that need care and enrich the lives of our animals even more!

If we can get 1 million people to donate one dollar we can improve our habitat, take in more animals that need care and enrich the lives of our animals even more!

Please help Big Cat Habitat and Gulf Coast Sanctuary spread the word about our $1 dollar drive. We are hoping to make make $1 million dollars from contributors worldwide. When we rescue animals they have a sanctuary for life!

Here is a break down of where the money will go:

• $10,000 – Big Cat Toys for enrichment. Boomer balls, outside climbing areas, pools etc.
• $125,000 – Real restroom facilities for visitors and staff. Currently we have two Porta Potties, but we need better facilities for visitors.
• $250,000  - A sterile animal clinic and nursery for younger animals
• $240,000 – Payroll, utilities, veterinary check-ups, food for the animals etc.
• $25,000 – Educational materials for visitors and children visiting from local schools.
• $350,000 – For new and larger animal habitats.

If you would like to donate $1 please click on the donate button below. You can donate with any credit card and feel secure using Authorize.net. Side note: the credit card processing companies take 28 cents of the dollar you donate. If you would like to add 28 extra cents we would appreciate it.

Online payment on hold.

On Wednesday and Thursday from 12:30-4:00pm you can come see the animals on our animal tour and visit the petting zoo.

On Friday, Saturday and Sunday the gates open at 12:30. You can take a tour of the animals. We also have an educational demo that starts at 1:30.

Our 2pm shows have been slammed with people and we know many people are upset when we must turn people away due to safety and the law. We want to tell everyone that our Friday and Saturday night shows at 6pm have not filled up yet. So if you want to come and avoid the large crowds come to our night shows.

This weekend only there we have an elephant at our Extravaganza show. Come buy and see all the animals!

Buy tickets to the 6th Animal Extravaganza!

Its that time of year again folks! Big Cat Habitats Annual fundraiser is back! Its our 6th Animal Extravaganza!! Affordable fun for the whole family. In 15 years Kay Rosaire has never raised our prices in hopes to keep our educational fun affordable for all families!

Gate opens 1 hour prior to show! We will be having pony and Camel rides, Fat Sam’s BBQ, animal encounters and much, much more! We have also extended our showings to all four weekends in February!

Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday!!!

On Fridays there will be one show under the Big Top starting at 6:00 PM. Saturdays we will have 2 showings one at 2:00 PM and another at 6:00 PM and only one showing on Sundays at 2:00 PM.

BUY TICKETS NOW!!!

We will also be needing volunteers! If you are interested please fill out a Volunteer form and we will get back to you as soon as we can!

Hope to see you all there for some memories that will last a life time!

I volunteered to do some work for the Big Cat Habitat and Gulf Coast Sanctuary because I was so impressed at how amazing and selfless everyone was. They truly want what is best for their animals and any other animals they get phone calls over. To do my work I needed to learn about everything- the habitat, the people and all the animals individually.

I was like everyone else at first – the tigers are beautiful! The tigers, lions and liger all behave like my cats in some ways. They look snuggly and everyone I talk to wants to pet one…it seems so simple, but petting tigers or lions is not a safe thing.

Don’t get me wrong, these animals can be sweet and they all have their own distinct personality, but underneath the beauty and the personality they are what they have always been, predators. They are built like predators, so even if they are just playing with you their claws and their teeth can do considerable damage. It doesn’t have to be intentional. When tigers play with each other they can bite and claw their pals and nothing happens, but humans are not built the same.

Can I Pet a Tiger?

I will tell you right now that the Big Cat Habitat is not going to risk you getting hurt just to pet a tiger. There are very few staff members that go in with tigers and lions and those that do have trained tigers for a decade or more. They know tigers so well they actually think like them. More importantly, the big cats trust them. The support staff that feed and care for the tigers also have a close relationship with them, but they are not reaching their hands in and petting them. It just is not worth the risk.

Respect

Kay, her son Clayton and the entire staff are always talking about respecting the cats. As I said above, the cats know the people that  take care of them, but they don’t know visitors.  It would make them very uncomfortable to have random people touching them all time. People don’t like having people they don’t know come up and touch them; neither do the cats.

As beautiful as they are, it is important to keep in mind that they were created to be predators and that is what they are. They do not have to attack you to hurt you. Tigers are just too dangerous to play with. On the other hand, being able to look into their eyes is a rewarding experience and one I value deeply. If you have not had the chance to look a tiger, lion or liger in the eye I encourage you to visit the Big Cat Habitat or a safe and animal loving habitat in your local area.

Melissa

Summer camps, you can call us and schedule a time to have your summer camp kids come by and see the animals. If you are interested please call us at 941-371-6377. Our rates are very affordable!

See our Big Cats!

Our Tigers

Our Liger

Our Lion