The Aftermath Of Tropical Storm Debbie

Well, in the aftermath of TS Debbie and losing our own home, we found a lot of new friendships. Friendships that perhaps would not have been formed had it not have been for the devastation Debbie left behind. 
We indeed lost our home, two freezers FULL of carnivore meats, the freezers themselves, two handicapped motorized carts for handicapped individuals to tour our facility, and a lot of priceless memories and memorabilia . 


Help did arrive though through donations to our walkin freezer to be repaired, meat donations, a connection to obtain produce, and a small freezer. 


Tropical Storm Debbie had came on the tail end of Rosie, our tawny rosetted leopard that needed an emergency spay to the tune of $3200.00 this wiped out our building fund. We had plans of full time opening in the late spring/early summer of this year, with our leopards getting a new leopard habitat and Spike our 3 year old Siberian (aka Amur) tiger getting his new play ground. 


We need your help to help these cats. They are becoming quickly eradicated in their native lands. With the leopard in Asia now exceeding the tiger in the race to extinction. 


Please consider donating, any amount as it all adds up. 
Paypal address - mysticjungleedu@yahoo.com 


We are a non profit 501(c)3 organization with no board members receiving a salary. ALL of your donations go direct to the care of the animals here at the jungle! 

The Battle Continues

On January 11th, 2012, I was alerted by our alarm that I had someone on our property. I went outside to find our FWCC (Florida Wildlife and Conservation Commission) standing outside the locked compound. Although a bit surprised to see him (we had just been inspected at the end of October 2011) I thought nothing of it and grabbed the compound keys.

His first question was " Have you lost anything?" Now as an exotic animal owner that is the LAST words one wants to hear! My mind went rapidly and I knew I had not so I answered instantly with a resounding NO. He asked AGAIN, "Are you SURE you are not missing anything?" NOW I am FREAKING OUT! My mind does an instant inventory. Monkeys, check. Snakes, check. Horses, check. Cattle, buffalo, check. Birds, check..etc... and never ONCE in my mind did I think in a million years, that what he was asking was 'ARE ALL YOU BIG CATS HERE?" OMG.. now you have to be an IDIOT to not miss one of those and frankly I was shocked that I got asked the question twice. I assured him all were there and we did a walk through with a head count. OF COURSE All were present and accounted for. Now to the basis of this story.

Evidently, a local land owner had a blurred image of an unidentified animal on his game camera. Now I ask, how in the world did ANYONE come up with having a "tiger" (as reported by the land owner it was what he thought to be a tiger!) that is not native to our country. A phone call by me simplified that question. Evidently this person is friends of my ex-employer, of which I have no problem with except one employee that is their "key" person and really does not like me. He stated he took the photo to my ex-employer and it was told to him that it looked like a tiger. Now why would it look like a tiger in a land where tigers are not known to roam free, unless you KNOW someone has a tiger and you hate their guts? LOL!! Hey.. I get it.

So for the next week I battled with the constant accusations, even though the FWCC told people that called that the facility that has big cats in the area has all their cats accounted for. The rumor mill was rampant! I even got emails from as far away as Massachusetts from friends asking me if it is my tiger that is loose!

I figured it would all blow over, that is until on January 17th it was in the internet edition of our local paper as "Bobcat or Tiger" with those blurred obscure pictures on it... trying to cause mass hysteria. As I read the ignorant and misinformed comments, I read on where it stated that FWCC had told the paper that the "game farm" ... WHOA.. wait a minute! WE ARE NOT A GAME FARM!! I suddenly got a deluge of email from Facebook people trying to friend us, when in reality it was people trying to get to us to send us hate mail, set up a demonstration or what have you. OMG. So I notified the editor that we are NOT a game farm and to please retract that statement. Instead they offered to come out and do an interview.

I was hesitant as I have seen many of my fellow exotic animal lovers/owners fall prey to media slander as they walk into well orchestrated ambushes. I went ahead and allowed the onsite interview. The reporter was wonderful and we got front page POSITIVE coverage. I was amazed in this day and age at the fact that there are still reporters out there that report the truth.

Here is the first posting edition that caused all the mass hysteria:

http://suwanneedemocrat.com/local/x1561260007/Bobcat-or-tiger

Now here is the newspaper AFTER the interview

http://suwanneedemocrat.com/local/x1405465498/Sanctuary-a-safe-haven-for-rehomed-big-cats

Quite the difference when someone researches facts huh?

But please understand that this is what we as exotic animal owners face EVERYDAY. It is the agenda of the HSUS, ALF, PETA and many other animal rights activists, that these animals are better off dead than in captivity. And this is where I will fight everyday until my last breath to save and protect not only the ones in my care but their wild relatives.

Please understand that none of these animals have been taken from the wild. They are generations upon generations of captive breds. They know no other life, and private owners in fact have happier, healthier cats as well as a better safety record than any public zoo.

Ok.. enough for today.. will try to keep all updated throughout the year!

Murder in Ohio

As some folks may know, the Ohio animal massacre was a tragedy. They did NOT escape as a lot of newpapers have put it, but were deliberately set free. Whether by Terry or not remains to be seen.

I find it now suspicious that not only one but TWO exotic animal owners have lost their lives as the debate of exotic animal ownership heats up. The first one was Sam Mazzola was found, bound, gagged with a sex toy, with his hands tied behind his back, in a waterbed and a hood on. It was proven that there was another party there (obviously) that apparently "left" before untying Sam. YET no charges of ANY kind were brought against this person, and it was ruled an accident.. ??? AYFKM???

Next case, Terry Thompson. Vietnam war vet. Spent time in prison on "gun related charges". What the papers fail to tell you is that first he WAS a vet, second he WAS a licensed arms dealer and the arms taken from his home were antique/collector items. He was up on charges with the IRS and EXPIRED licenses that evidently he has transactions done during that time. His wife apparently had left him (it is not this bloggers intention to throw her in a bad light, just stating a fact) and he came home from prison with all his affairs in a disarray as well as his animals.

Reports state that cages were CUT (Terry had keys) and that there was chicken placed all around him. He did sustain a bite to the head that evidently happened post mortem. MY question is HOW THE HELL did he (one man) release ALL of those animals without sustaining any injury.. second why cut the fences when he had keys, (some have speculated it was to prevent the retrieval of the animals) and WHY were the six animals that were spared all on the endangered list? The leopards and the Lion Tailed Macques were spared.

I agree that there are some people out there that do not need to own a dog much less a tiger, heck for that matter, they shouldn't have kids! BUT this is AMERICA! Who are WE to tell people what animal they can and cannot have and love? Bans of these animals will drive them underground because while honest citizens will comply with the law, the very elements that we seek to protect these animals against, will obtain them and then we will have no account for them. Regulation that responsible owners can comply with is the key in my humble opinion.

Then you have the people that want no one but Zoo's to have them or they should be returned to the wild. WHAT WILD? And do these people that I believe truly DO love the animals, just have no idea of the whole picture, realize that 99.9% of the captive big cats in the US today are at least 8 generations captive breds? They are acclimated to man.. which even if you did find an area to release them would surely be abut of a village somewhere.. and these cats seek man to provide food for them. Do they realize that accredited zoos are only allowed to take in so many of a species? They have to keep them until they trade off or it dies. Which brings me to the subject of WHERE do these animals go after they are too old to be on display?

There is a big picture here, and I for one believe that an all out ban on exotic animals will only serve to be the ultimate demise of the animals we truly love

Freezing my ARSE off!!

I live in a climate that can be harsh at times but for the most part is pretty even kiel. NOT THIS WEEK! It has not hit above 32 degrees at noon. I spend most of my waking hours walking around checking critters to make sure everyone is bedded down and warm. What the heck is up with this artic air in Florida?

I assume this artic air is everywhere... so folks... make sure your pets are not left outside to the elements.... a nice warm pail of water to drink if they must be outside with hay or straw (makes for a nicer bedding than a blanket that can be chewed, swallowed and soiled.. keeps them warmer) for bedding, and I make a chow toddy (I put a scoop of that animal specific replacement powdered milk) sprinkled on top of the kibble with hot water... by the time I get it set in their kennels it is just the right temp and they love it!

KEEP WARM FOLKS!!!!!!!!

Border Collie pups at last!

I am so excited! Finally after many barren years and bad luck, a litter of eight rough coated Border Collies have arrived! Four males, four females! What a perfect blend.
I think the roughest part was the fact that the Maremma's were like rabbits and while I love the breed and find them very useful as Livestock Guardians, they can never replace the love for the Border Collie.

The good luck began when I was given a young adulscent male that ever so much reminded me of my beloved Shane (my heart dog). This dog acts like Shane and looks like Shane in every way but the erect ears (Shane's were up). After his death, I would and continue to get anywhere from 3 to 5 phone calls a week looking for pups. There is even one that looks like the dog in Down and Out in Beverly Hills.. and I know he will go first... and it will be truly hard for me to not keep him.

The pregnancy was a tough one. I brought her in for her 4 week ultrasound and as the doctor was palpating her uterus, she released a slime green discharge. The ultrasound revealed that both uterine horns were filled with this matter. She was not symptomatic at all. Bright, happy, eating and no fever. I was informed that spaying was the only way to save her...

I went against all odds and relied on past experience of seeing dogs treated medically with pyometra. This should NOT be an option on a closed pyometra, nor one where the dog is symptomatic! But she was not either. She was open and still feeling great. I chose to medically treat and trust me got the stink eye and rude comments from several people ("Breeder mentality" etc).

Now, while I do breed, I am not a puppy mill and I breed only the best to the best. I do not show, but my dogs are all working stock. They need to have the brains, conformation to work and temperment for the job. If one of my bitches needed to be spayed for health reasons to save her life it would be done in a heart beat! They are not dollar signs but living breathing creatures that I dearly love!

Well, she was treated with Augmentin and prostaglandin . The Prostaglandin was given in such a small amount it barely registered in the barrel of the syringe... and 4 weeks later.. VOILA! Eight pups!! YIPPEE!!!