My Nonprofit Reviews

I am SO sick of the outright lies being posted in these 1 star reviews by supporters of Joe Exotic. I live down the street from BCR and have been going as a paying guest and as a volunteer for years. Here are the facts:

#1: The cages are NOT "tiny!" They are quite large. But only the front part is visible from the tour path. The enclosures go far back so that if the cat doesn't want to be on display, they have plenty of room to hide. The cats are NEVER forced to do anything they don't want, and that includes being seen. All enclosures are large enough for the cats to run, at least 1200 square feet, with dens, platforms, and plenty of trees and shrubs to hide in.

#2: Someone said they should release the cats to the wild or breed & release. Ridiculous! All of these cats were born into captivity and would have no clue how to survive in the wild. Some were declawed by previous owners, or had teeth removed (things that Joe Exotic did regularly to his cats). And as for breeding, the tigers are "generic" which means there is no way to know which specific genus of tiger they are. Species must remain pure in the wild, so introducing generic tigers into the wild would literally destroy the species.

#3: The cats are extremely well taken care of. They receive special diets made for them, not expired meat from WalMart. They receive top notch veterinary care from multiple trained veterinarians. Heck, the vet who takes care of 2 of my house cats is one of the vet volunteers there! They get monthly flea/tick treatments, all sorts of toys & enrichment to keep their minds engaged, and have an on-site actual animal hospital.

#4: The cats also get two week turns in very large "vacation rotation" areas. For the larger cats, it's a 2.5 ACRE enclosure with a large pond, fountains, all sorts of dens and platforms for lounging. Smaller cats take turns in the "FunCation" which is 22,000 square feet. Not exactly small!

#5: They are highly rated by both the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries AND Charity Navigator.

#6: They are transparent on everything. You can literally watch multiple sites there via webcams on Explore.org.

#7: They also rehab and release native Florida bobcats. Bobcats who are hit by a car, kittens who've been abandoned by their mothers or found in fire remains are first treated in the hospital (never actually seeing a human so they don't get comfortable with humans). They are rehabbed and once they are healthy AND able to hunt for themselves, released back into the wild where they belong.

So don't listen to the lies in the one star reviews. I would venture that NONE of them have actually been to BCR for themselves, and are basing their judgment on the lies told in Tiger King.

I've now visited Big Cat Rescue 3 times and continue to be blown away by the gorgeous animals and the great care they receive. They've rehabbed Florida bobcats and released them back to the wild....rescued a beautiful lioness from drug dealers...saved tigers from a life in a tiny cage...All the cats receive top notch care and are a delight to see. If I could give 10 stars I would! Don't miss this wonderful experience!

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