THESE FOUR BIG CAT CUBS NEED YOUR HELP!
AND
These young big cats call the Center for Animal Research and Education (CARE) home. They urgently need new enclosures that will fit their
special needs. Tiger & Lion Cubs Enclosures is a campaign
aimed at raising the funds to build new state-of-the-art housing and habitats
for the growing boys so that they will have the safest, happiest, and healthiest lives
possible.
CARE is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to education, research, rescue, and long-term care for exotic animals located on over 20 acres in Bridgeport, TX. Being a non-profit, and recieving no government funding, means we rely solely on donors to achieve our mission.
Big cats in captivity need a lot of specialized care, including exceptional enclosures that will provide them with the space, enrichment, and protection that they need. That is where YOU come in.
CARE is home to around 50 exotic animals, including lions, tigers, leopards, cougars, bobcats, ringtailed lemurs, two llamas, and a coati. Some of the animals were abused, abandoned, or were the unlikely pets of private collectors before they came to the facility. Others were retired from performance acts, acquired from zoos which encountered financial difficulty, or taken in from other sanctuaries that reached their capacity.
CARE’s Mission: To provide for a safe, permanent and loving home to exotic animals in need. CARE focuses on excellence in physical and emotional care, advocating animal welfare through education, and conducting minimally-invasive research that will improve living conditions for captive animal populations world-wide.
Building big cat enclosures is not
easy or cheap. There are strict regulations to follow to ensure that animals
and people are safe. The materials have to be sturdy and strong to withstand
the force of 500 lb. predators. Zoos and large sanctuaries can pay millions to create quality housing!
Boomer and Slade need a brand new enclosure equipped with lots of space to run and play, and an amazing water feature. Tigers love water and these boys are natural water-babies!
Boomer and Slade playing in a pond at the facility
Araali and Zuberi are very special lions. They were diagnosed with a condition called Wobbler’s Syndrome, so they need specific accommodations to keep them comfortable.
To make sure they have all that they
need to live long, healthy lives, we will be building onto an existing
enclosure. The enclosure is 8100 sq. feet with lots of trees for shade.
All we need to do is adjust the landscaping and build on a 35 x 25 indoor, climate controlled area that is crucial to their health (digital rendering below).
We are also planning on
building 2 cabins on top of the lions' indoor area. These cabins will be used
for visitors on weekend stays. With our growing number of out of town visitors, this will be a great new way to earn revenue for the facility. While
visitors will not have direct access to the animals (we don’t allow that), they
will be able to eat breakfast by the windows overlooking Araali and Zuberi’s
home and have surround-sound lion roars sing them to sleep at night! Non-profits consistently struggle with regular sources of funding, so this is just another way we can keep money coming in to care for the animals.
Digital Images courtesy of Lee Hill, AIA of Hahnfeld Hoffer Stanford
The entire building project will cost CARE $80,000. There is a definite sense of urgency to this project. New USDA regulations require us to build new enclosures. Height requirements have changed in the last few years, meaning that currently open enclosures can no longer be used for new animals. The cubs are growing on a daily basis, in fact they gain a pound a day. We can't stop them from getting bigger, so we need to get their homes built pronto!
When you donate, know that
you are making an INCREDIBLE impact on the lives of 4 very precious big cats.
There are so few of them left on our planet, and you are making sure that
Boomer, Slade, Araali, and Zuberi have the best home to spend
the rest of their long lives in!
In addition to that, you can view
all of our perks to the right, and more details below.
Each and every animal at CARE is unique and incredibly special. We dedicate ourselves to making sure that their lives here at CARE are exceedingly healthy, happy, and most of all, loved. You will be a part of something that we take great pride in.
19 year old Serena, CARE's oldest cat
In addition to caring for the
animals here, we implement several programs that will positively impact
the lives of animals around the world, both in captivity and the wild. We have
an intensive internship program, we provide educational tours, and we collaborate
with veterinarians, animal professionals, and some of the top research organizations in the country to work on ways to improve animal care and ensure the survival of these endangered and at risk species. We want you to be a part of the amazing work we do.
GET TO KNOW THE CUBS
We can’t ask you to give if you don’t know who you are giving to. Meet the cats who your contribution will directly impact: Araali, Zuberi, Boomer, and Slade.
Araali and Zuberi: Our young lion brothers have had many challenges, the worst was their Wobbler's Syndrome diagnosis when they were 6 months old. You can read about their incredible journey HERE and HERE.
Araali and Zuberi in April running and playing like normal 9 month old lions!
Boomer and Slade: Boomer and Slade are two rambunctious tiger cubs who came to live at CARE in the Fall of 2014. They came from a private owner in Florida, and we are glad that they found a home with us.
*Check out the Gallery at the top of the page for more video/photos of the cats.
Please consider donating whatever you can so we can continue giving these boys the life they deserve! Any amount makes an impact!
You can find the perks on the right side of the page, but here are a few extra details on some of the items we are offering.
Limited Run CARE Shirts!
1 Year Cub Sponsorship or Adoption
Adoptions and Sponsorships are one of the most important and fulfilling programs we have at CARE. You don't get to take the cats home with you, but we DO give you the following:
We know that as much as you want to, sometimes you just can’t financially contribute. That does not mean that we can’t use your help! Here are just a few ways that you can be a part of this project in other ways:
- Help us get the word out about our campaign. Tell your co-workers, friends, family, church, chess club, yoga class, everyone you know! Share CARE on any and every social media account you have access to. You can find links to our accounts below. Make sure you use the Indiegogo share tools!
- You may not have extra money to give, but you can fund-raise on our behalf! Consider doing a bake sale, yard sale, chores, or set out a collection can at a local store or at your office to help provide a home for the cubs!
- Do you know companies that would be willing to donate some of the materials that we need or would want to sponsor the enclosure? Any help we can get will lower overall costs and will just mean we can do more with the money raised!
- If you do donate, make sure you check with your employer to see if they have a matching gift program. It could double the amount that you give.
There's always one in every family!
