The tigers, rescued a few months ago from a cub-petting operation in Colorado are taking turns romping in their spacious wooded habitat and jumping in the pool to cool off.

The next phase of construction for their habitat is to build an in-ground concrete pool with rocks to climb on. Still looking for a pool company to help out. Do you know anyone?

Oatmeal thought it would be a good idea to blow a horn and make some noise!

She wants to remind everyone that you still have until midnight to receive a tax deduction for any gifts made to the sanctuary.

Of course the fundraiser that she is rooting for is the one to buy TOYS for the new tigers and bears.

Forest Animal Rescue joined Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge and Tigers in America along with 15 other accredited animal sanctuaries to rescue 110 wild animals, mostly tigers and bears, from a facility in Colorado.

The animals were formerly used as cubs for petting and photo opportunities and then, when they grew too big, they were used as breeders. The facility was offered for sale due to the failing health of the owner and now all of the animals are all going to forever homes at sanctuaries across the country. Happily ever after…

Four tigers, Eva, Natasha, Juanita and Zoey, and two bears, Cody and Oatmeal have arrived at our sanctuary just in time for Christmas! Stay tuned next week to see how all of these animals react to their Christmas gifts.

They will spend their first few weeks in quarantine to ensure that they are healthy before then can be introduced to friends of their own kind at the sanctuary, but they are already enjoying their new diggs.

The tigers

Juanita had been exploring everything, playing with the ball and immediately jumping in the pool. Eva and Natasha share a habitat with Juanita and were a bit more cautious but they took turns jumping out of one pool and running over to jump into the other, back and forth – exploring all of the new scents and textures.

The trio had never experienced live trees in their habitats and they are trying to figure out exactly how those work. It has been a lot of fun to watch.

The fourth tiger, Zoey, is older than the other three so she had her own space. She has already discovered the very top of her platform and den box and enjoys lying on top, surveying her surroundings.

Once the tigers have been examined and observed long enough to ensure their good health and we have had time to complete more construction, the three girls will be introduced to our (neutered) male tiger, Roy in a new 1.25 acre habitat. Zoey will then meet Tony (our other neutered male tiger) in his 1 acre habitat.

The bears

The two black bears, Cody and Oatmeal (named by her sponsor) share a quarantine area that is attached to our existing 4-acre bear habitat. Once they are observed for a sufficient length of time and examined by our veterinarian, they will join our other three black bears with plenty of space to get to know one another. Of course we do not allow any of the animals at the sanctuary to breed, so the male bears have already been neutered.

These bears have also never known live trees and have not had a pool to play in for a very long time. They think that oak branches are amazing and the pool is the most awesome thing in the world to splash in!

Before:

After, at Forest Animal Rescue:

Would you like to help us build their permanent habitats and provide them with a safe forever home?

Donate now to join in their care or volunteer to build with us!

Forest Animal Rescue (FAR) is an accredited wild animal sanctuary. Founded in 1998, FAR has a strong history of rescuing wild animals from inappropriate captive situations and educating others about the plight these animals face in captivity. Their mission of providing lifetime care to nonreleasable wild animals has recently expanded to include rehabilitation and release of wild black bear cubs.

Forest Animal Rescue has almost 100 animals at their 80-acre sanctuary in the Ocala National Forest in Marion County. This wooded sanctuary provides forever homes to animals ranging from big cats to wolves, bears, primates and more that were born into captivity and had nowhere else to go.

On September 21, Two organizations, Tigers in America (TIA) and Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge (TCWR), purchased the property and equipment of a Colorado based animal facility, whose owner was in ill health and wanted to ensure the well-being of the 110 wild animals on the property. He donated the animals to TCWR with the understanding that they would put the welfare of the animals first.

Many of the animals from Colorado are in need of veterinary care and an enormous amount of work needs to be done before winter sets in at the property in Colorado.

So far, TCWR has moved 27 big cats to their facility in Arkansas and TIA has committed to placing and transporting the remainder of the animals who need new forever homes to the best big cat sanctuaries in the U.S.; some of them will be making the trip to Florida before the Holidays.

Forest Animal Rescue is part of that combined effort. FAR is planning to accept two tigers and two black bears in desperate need of forever homes, and will be quickly building acreage habitats to give them the space and comfort they deserve right here in Marion County.

This project is an enormous undertaking and the cooperation and generosity of the animal sanctuary community cannot be overstated. This is an unprecedented showing of sanctuaries working together to make sure no big cat or exotic animal will be left behind.