We provide a caring safe haven to some of God's most beautiful creatures.
We put their needs before all else; the old, the maimed, and the unwanted find sanctuary here.
Our avid Facebook readers may recall a posting we made on June 16, 2011 about Apollo, Kazuri, Grumpy, Stryker and Abrams needing a pool to be built in Chuffin Park.
Thanks to our wonderful supporters, we raised enough money to build a pool for these very hot tigers!
The pool frame was built, concrete was poured, and right now the contractors are putting the finishing touches on the tigers’ new pool!
The pool’s grand opening date is scheduled for Sunday, July 24th at 11:30am!
On behalf of five grateful tigers, we invite you to attend the pool grand opening ceremony at In-Sync Exotics’ Chuffin Park. We hope to see you there!
If you cannot attend this event, we shall bring you photographs of the tigers enjoying their new pool -- so stay tuned for updates!
Probably one of the most interesting and nail-biting experiences one can ever witness is two big cats meeting for the first, second, third and fourth time.
It is especially nerve racking for the animal care staff that knows and loves both cats, watching the drama unfold before their very eyes, knowing that the amicable meeting can change in an instant. Prayers go up for safe and wonderful introductions between the two cats because the opposite could spell disastrous for one or both animals.
Just recently, one such introduction took place at In-Sync Exotics. Witness how Aasha and Smuggler, two juvenile tigers,interacted with one another:
Even though Smuggler is larger than Aasha, you can see how he is gently swatting Aasha, taking care not to hurt her. I say gently because a tiger can kill prey with one powerful swipe of its paw. Tigers’ coats are very thick and tough so playful swipes will not hurt them. The same cannot be said with a tiger playing with a human—human skin is very thin (like tissue paper) and a hard swipe from a tiger can be lethal.
Curious Aasha, seemed interested in attracting Smuggler’s attention by following him around the indoor quarters. It wasn’t until she was cornered did Aasha displayed a little aggression, attempting to establish personal space boundaries with Smuggler.
It will take some time before both cats feel comfortable being around each other. We are hoping Aasha and Smuggler will become the best of friends very soon. We will keep you posted on their progress!
Later:
It looks like our two juveniles are getting along just fine! We are so happy these two tigers seem to be enjoying each other's company:
Aren't they simply adorable together?
One week later:
Innocent play time in the tub...
Turns into a splash party!
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Welcome to In-Sync Exotics’ blog!
You’re probably wondering why we’ve decided to jump into the social scene by creating a special blog highlighting all the wonderful works at our exotic wild animal sanctuary. Well, we’ve created this site just for you, our wonderful supporters and contributors! We’ve received several emails and Facebook postings requesting more information and updates on the In-Sync animals. So, please consider this blog your one-stop place to catch up on all the In-Sync happenings.
This interactive blog will give you “behind-the scenes” information that you may not see on our website, Facebook or Twitter pages. By coming to this site, you can read up on how the animals are doing, watch our latest videos, participate in some fun activities and contests, plus catch up on the latest photos posted to all our social sites.
We also made this blog a portal to all our wonderful Internet pages. By clicking on the tabs located at the top of this page, you can instantly connect to our website, Facebook and Twitter pages, our YouTube video channel, and our photo Flicker pages.
So, without further ado, let’s begin our first blog with details on the Poetry Lions' relocation to In-Sync!
As many of our longtime supporters know, In-Sync Exotics has called upon many times to help animals caught in unusual circumstances. Needless to say, our latest rescue was no exception.
The Call
We received an urgent plea from a family living in Poetry, Texas, which is located approximately 40 minutes from In-Sync Exotics, to help relocate cougars, lions and tigers. Not knowing what to expect, we agreed to make the journey to Poetry. I think we can all say, without a doubt, this was truly the most challenging rescue in In-Sync Exotics’ history!
On July 1, 2011, the In-Sync Exotic Team arrived at a private residence located in Hunt County to check on 20 big cats (10 cougars, 9 lions, and 1 tiger) to determine their health status and suitability for travel. What we discovered was absolutely heartbreaking.
The owner of the 20 cats recently passed away and her family wanted the animals to be placed in new homes as soon as possible since there was no one capable of maintaining and caring for the animals on a permanent basis. When In-Sync Exotics workers and volunteers arrived, we discovered 8 cougars, 3 lionesses, and 1 tiger living in a closed-up barn. The animals’ 12x12 metal horse stalls were filthy—pools of urine and piles of feces were found in every stall.
Sadly, these animals lived in the barn for approximately 10 years with no opportunity to run and play outside. The only sunlight the animals received were from the barn windows. These animals were literally living on death row.
To the side of the barn, we discovered 2 cougars and 6 lions (3 females & 3 males) living in small outdoor pens.
It was obvious the animals had gone without food or drinks for some time, so our first order of business was to provide the animals with fresh water and food.
In-Sync Exotics agreed to take in 4 cougars and 4 lions with the remainder of the animals going to Exotic Feline Rescue Center in Indiana and Popcorn Park Zoo Animal Rescue and Sanctuary located in New Jersey.
The cougars made the move on July 1, 2011 and the lions moved on Sunday, July 17, 2011.
The Update!
Last Sunday, it was another hot day in Texas as temperatures reached a high of 99 degrees. Team In-Sync arrived at Poetry around 10:00am (when it was a little cooler) to begin the process of loading up the four lions. Not surprisingly, the lions were ready to go and anxious to leave their old home. Eddie Keahey commented “I guess they are ready to get out of Dodge” when the cats literally ran into the transporters. It only took five minutes to load up each cat into roll cages and move them to the staging area.
Since we could not transport all the cats together at one time to In-Sync, we decided to send the three lionesses ahead and make a second trip to pick up the male lion.
We started the day at 9:00am and we secured the last lion gate at 7:00pm. This amazing move would not have been possible without the five In-Sync volunteers that gave up their Sunday to help the lions move from Poetry to Wylie!
We also want to recognize the volunteers that stayed behind to care for the animals at home. They literally “held down the fort” while we are gone!
Truly, we have the best volunteer team ever! Thank you Team In-Sync!
Back to the Remaining Poetry Animals
Yesterday, Exotic Feline Rescue Center from Indiana arrived to pick-up the remaining 11 big cats. EFRC will transport four cats to their facility first and then continue on to New Jersey to deliver the remaining seven cats to the Popcorn Park Zoo Animal Rescue and Sanctuary.
Here Kitty, Kitty!
The move went smoothly with only one cat requiring sedation. “Kitty” the lioness was a little apprehensive of making the move, so she was sedated. This gave our vet an opportunity to examine “Kitty” to make sure she was able to safely travel to her new home.
We brought the last cougar to In-Sync, while he waits for a new place to call home. We have high hopes he will be relocated in the next few days.
Drum Roll, Please!
It is with great pleasure to introduce you to our new family of lions, Aramis, Aurora, Layla and Eva!
First, there is Aramis, a male lion approximately 6 years old. Aramis just happens to be the brother of Aurora, whom is also approximately 6 years of age. We are concerned about Aurora as she has been seen limping and avoiding the use of her right front paw.
Then there is Layla and Eva, both sisters, related to Aramis and Aurora, whom are about 12-15 years of age. We are also concerned with Layla’s health as she only eats about half of her meal, choosing instead to playing with her food. Layla is a little on the thin side, so we are watching her carefully to see if her appetite improves overthe next couple of days.
On Monday, we plan to draw blood from all the lions to determine the health of each animal.
Coincidentally, the four lions’ father, d'Artagnan, 20 years old, was one of the big cats that relocated to Indiana! Sadly, the mother of the cats passed away some time ago.
The three female lions live together in the Mane Street playground, while their brother, Aramis lives in the attached living quarters. Layla is the explorer of the group, checking out each enrichment toy in turn. So far, she scared herself with the swinging tire, kicked around the bucket, and played with her Boomer Ball.
We intend for Aramis to join the lionesses once two of the three cats are spayed (Aurora was spayed prior to arrival).
Spaying a lioness can be a bit more expensive than spaying a domestic house cat. It costs about $2,500 per lioness and a lot of round the clock care for several days to make sure the surgery is a success.
We are looking forward to the day when the lion “family” is finally reunited together in the same play area!
Next, may we present our cougars, Kane, Abel, Howard and Chloe!
Kane (18-20 years) and Abel (10-15 years) live together. These two cats are not siblings.
Howard and Chloe, both about 10-15 years of age and not related, live together. Even though Howard was neutered years ago, we believe it to be a good idea to have Chloe spayed so she does not excite the other cougars around her when she goes into “heat.”
Upon arrival at In-Sync Exotics, Kane and Howard were immediately seen by their new veterinarian to determine their current health condition and to develop a health care treatment plan.
As it turned out, Kane was suffering from toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease caused by a protozoan Toxoplasma gondii, which is found primarily in cats. Kane may have contracted this parasitic disease by eating infected meat or by exposure from dried feces that contaminated his living area. Kane was also very dehydrated and suffered from heat exhaustion (his symptoms included dizziness, muscle weakness, and nausea/ vomiting). Thankfully, by the fourth day of treatment, Kane could once again walk without falling over!
Howard’s physical condition was a great concern to us. He was seen by his new veterinarian and diagnosed as being emaciated. He was given fluids and released to In-Sync for observation. When Howard could not eat that evening, he was taken back to the vet for a more thorough examination. X-rays and blood work results revealed that Howard’s intestines dried up due to extreme dehydration. Hard balls of fecal matter had to be removed by the veterinarian and Howard endured two enemas, a procedure of introducing liquids into his rectum and colon. Howard was released to In-sync Exotics to be monitored by our staff to make sure he could eat, drink, and poop on his own again. Howard was also diagnosed as having a low potassium level (potassium is needed in order to make his intestines work correctly). It was touch and go there for a while as we were not sure Howard would survive.
Four days later, Howard finally ate a small meal consisting of one pound of ground beef with mineral oil. It was slow going for Howard, but he was able to eat and later poop out a small amount of fecal matter. He is currently taking two types of antibiotic pills each day along with steroids for the pain and potassium gel shots in his mouth.
It will take some time before his intestines function properly again, but we are hopeful that he will make a full recovery.
Abel and Chloe, thankfully, appear to be healthy and happy!
Sadly, the lions and cougars’ previous owner did not maintain health records, so we have to guess at the animals’ ages or the details relating to their past illnesses or injuries.
Done yet?
Now that the animals have left the Poetry property all that is left is to clean the enclosures and horse stalls, leaving the property in better condition than it was found on July 1st. We expect to have the place cleaned up by Thursday evening!
We welcome you to visit Aramis, Aurora, Layla, Eva, Kane, Abel, Howard and Chloe at In-Sync Exotics today! If you would like to help us with the cost of the cats’ medical care and surgeries, please click on Donate Now! button found on the top left side of this blog. No donation is too small as every gift makes a difference in the cats’ lives. We cannot provide a quality home without your continued support! You are truly the cats’ life line, so we thank you in advance for your assistance in caring for our new residents.
Congratulations to everyone who helped us turn a sad situation into a happy ending!
“We came, we saw, we saved – Mission Accomplished!”
