It was a beautiful Sunday morning when we were headed out for a day at the beach. It’s not very often we get Ms. Kay off the property these days, with all the new construction and the typical every day care of all the other animals here. So, eventually with a little bit of convincing that the rest of the family would make sure everyone was ok while we were gone, she agreed to go with us for a day of some well needed relaxation. I got into the car, Kay in the passenger seat and my son in the back… we were finally on the road!
We made it about two blocks down the street when Ellian called with a bit of shock and awe in her voice. “You didn’t tell me you had a baby!” she says to Kay. Kay’s reply of course was “What baby?”

“The baby Lemur” Ellian said. Kay then proceeds to tell Ellian that we have no babies and defiantly no baby Lemur!

Considering the fact Ellian was standing in front of our lemur enclosure we thought it best to turn around and come straight back to the sanctuary to see what exactly was going on! It was then and there we saw him, so tiny so helpless and so adorable! She held him tightly to her chest as we all had to figure out what our next move was going to be.

Now considering that births in lemur colonies are whats called a learned behavior, this little mommy had no idea what had just happened to her! So naturally it scared her and she wanted nothing to do with the little guy. We called our friends over at the Lemur Conservation in Myakka City Florida to see if they could help or maybe even get Quiggly back on his mommy so he can get some of the very important first days milk.

They were the first to tell us that if the mommy didn’t take it the second time it was introduced to her that we would defiantly have to step in, and quick. We went in for the second try and she ended up giving him a little nip on the tail as to say she was definitely not interested. Though we were a bit disappointed that mommy didn’t take him back, we were also quite happy to play the surrogate.
It has been a long haul with this little guy, as he needed to eat every two hours for the first month! Not to mention, he was about the size of a baby squirrel, so the typical “baby bottle” wasn’t going to cut it. We had to use an eye dropper.

So, for that first month it was lots of over nights at the Big Cat and constant setting of alarm clocks to be sure we didn’t miss a feeding! He is doing very well and growing fast! We are very hopeful for Quiggly and continue on his daily feedings of about 4-6 eye droppers full of similac every 2-3 hours along with some monkey chow ground up very fine for the extra vitamins and nutrients.

Keep checking back on Quigglys progress as I will blog on him often! Come by this week for our Night Safaris and you can meet him! He’s absolutely adorable and quite the site to see! Make sure you check back next week as we are in the process of getting up some fantastic video of our little Quiggly!

Working with exotics isn’t something you wake up to one morning and go fill out an application for.  Nor should you plan on making a fortune doing this crazy job.  Most people who take on a career such such as this do it for the passion and not the pay check. 

The Rosair family has devoted their lives to living and working with these amazing animals, and all of us here at the sanctuary work for the passion and the reward that follows.  Not so much for the money.   

There are many places you can go to should you want to start a career in this field.  You can start with volunteering at a local sanctuary or zoo, or even a wild life rescue in your area.  Once you show passion, people are more willing to consider putting you on a  payroll.  If you have time on your side and wish to make a life long career out of this crazy world, start by going back to school!  Getting a degree is always a plus!  But any way you decide to go, Volunteering in your community is the most important place to start!  Now more than ever you can make a difference.  Animals all round the world need our help, weather it be in the wild or in captivity.   Reach out and get started!  Especially now with the Oil Spill in the gulf you can make a difference and in the process you can gain a whole lot of experience and free education. 

I hope I have inspired some of you to get started today!  The world we have created was not the world that was given to us.  Once you step outside and experience the wild it will expand your mind and fill your heart.  Not only will you gain an understanding of the damage done by our species but you will also understand how fragile this world really is and you can make a difference!

Keep animals in your heart and conserve what we have left to admire!

If your child is going to summer camp pass the word along!  We would love to have the groups come here or we can come to them!  Just Contact us!

Don’t forget Ellian Rosaire’s Riding Acadmey as well!  Your child will have the experience of a life time with one of Floridas finest riding instructors!

Yes, Ligers are very much real and look as mythical as they sound!  A liger is actually a cross between a female tiger and a male lion.   Theses cats are the largest of the big cat!  A male Liger can grow up to 12 feet tall and weigh as much as 900 pounds, although some have been said to weigh as much as 1,000 pounds!

If the rolls were reversed and a female lion were to mate with a male tiger it would be called a Tigon.  These magnificent cats would actually be considered “dwarf” cats.  They grow to only about 350 pounds and stand about the height of a small female tiger.

It has often been said that these animals are sterile but that is false. There have been many documented births coming from Ligers and Tigons.  However, there is no record of fertile males, so you could never breed two ligers or two tigons together, or a liger with a tigon.

If a Liger mates with tiger it would be called a titi and if it were to mate with a lion it would be a lili.  These births are only in captivity.

Affordable, fun, and most importnantly it will teach your child the love and appreciation for such a magnificant animal!

You will have lessons, Pony works shops, animal care classes, swimming. bareback riding with nothing but the best Kid Safe Horses and our quilified adult staff!

Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 4 pm.  Ages 6-15  welcome! 

Please call Ellian or visit her website!  941-356-3993

www.RideAPony.com 

Our most recent addition is a little Sugar Glider named Izzy.  One of our wonderful construction workers who is volunteering his time here brought her to us.  She is very sweet!  But just like some of our other exotics, its hard to find a home for such an animal.  Its not like you can call the Humane Society for these little guys!  S,o here she will stay for the remainder of her life, happy, healthy and soon to have a new enclosure!  Any Donations would be appreciated for this little morsel and don’t worry, pictures are soon to come!

So of course you have all seen our massive Sulcata Tortoises!  right now have the 3 that weigh in over 100 pounds each, then there is Midnight who is about 50 pounds, as well as Lucky who came to us from a family in Chicago.  She’s still little, but growing fast, and at last weigh in this female was at 25 pounds!  Well just the other day we got a call about another one that was spotted walking up a mans driveway and nearly got run over!  We went out to get him and found that he was just about the same size as Midnight, however the problem with these reptilian tanks is that they are very territorial!  Our 3 large ones get along fine, but Midnight, lucky, and the new guy, who has been named Randy, seem to fight constantly so we have had to split our petting zoo into sections!

We are currently working to expand our petting zoo so each one of these amazing creatures can have their own special home and not have to worry about the other guys picken on them.  Maybe in time if we keep them all close enough together they will take a liking to one another and we can combine the group and have one big happy family of Tortoises!  Until then we are needing donations more than ever!  Even one dollar helps!  Just think of the difference it would make  if one out of every 10 people in our town donated just one dollar!  Each one of these Tortoises eat about 6-10 pounds of produce a day!! Romaine is like gold around here but yet seems to be the least available through our current supporters.  I am sure you can imagine our feed bill when it comes to the one thing everybody around here seems to eat… romaine lettuce!!!

Gates open at 6:00 PM and our tour starts at 6:30 PM

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday!!

Donation: $20 for adults $10 for kids

With the sun setting and the temps cooling you will find our animals coming to life!  The roar of the lions, the splashing of the tigers in their pool are just a few of the things you will experience here for our safaris!  Not only is it a great way to spend a hot summer night, but also goes to a great cause!

“Aww” she says. “These guys could be in the wild, its such a shame if they would have been raised properly they could have roamed free.”

It was then and there I felt my blood pressure rise and the thought of “maybe she just didn’t think”! So I calmly walked over to the the beautiful woman with not a drop of sweat hanging over her brow and I asked her,

“Ma’am, where do you live?”

“Here” she says, “Lakewood Ranch.”

My reply… “That was the WILD!”

It was then and there the look on her face went from “upset” to “uh-oh”. Most people who believe these amazing animals should be left in the wild or “returned” to the wild don’t usually think that where they lay their heads to sleep every night just might have been that place.

We are the most destructive species on the planet; we as in humans. The wild is rapidly diminishing! There isn’t much wild left these days. We continue to build up and across the plains, and never do we stop to think what we may be displacing in the process. For every one acre built one animal will loose its home.

All of our animals here are many generations captive bred. They know no wild! All these animals know is human interaction and that food will be served each and every day on a silver platter! These animals never worry about famine or poaching, they are guaranteed love, respect, and a home for life! And in the all famous words of Jane Goodall , “Zoos are going to be our best hope for these animals”. At the rate their homes are being destroyed or they are being poached for the Busch Meat market, life in the wild is dwindling away.

We as humans need to pull together and help the wild! I highly recommend if you want to help these animals in their natural true habitat, please support the Nature Conservancy! They raise money to buy back the land for animals in hopes to secure a safe place where these magnificent creatures can live the life they deserve! And before you go donating to any of those others you see on TV take a minute to think about how much they paid to air that commercial. Or how much money has been spent on lobbyist to pass new laws or legislations. A good place to do your research is Consumerfreedom.com

I would love nothing more than to see these animals in the wild as they naturally are. However, the ones we have here in captivity are just as amazing and I am honored to live and work with these animals. I feel that I have been truly blessed and have gained a much better understanding in how imperative it is that we start today to save the wild tomorrow! Do your research and support your local sanctuaries and no kill shelters!

Now is the time to give back to the world we have so carelessly destroyed! Thanks for reading and hope to see you soon!

Meg Ozbirn
Sr. Keeper
Petting Zoo

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

See our Big Cats!

Our Tigers

Our Liger

Our Lion