Friday, May 18, 2012

A Week Filled With Changes!

Lots of changes abound this week!  Let's recap this week's events starting with our newest resident's feature video!
Fill 'er up, please!
On Monday, we dedicated Jasper's joy-for-water video to our California friends!  Typically, small cats do not like to get wet, so when we noticed that Jasper liked to play with water--well, we couln't resist sharing the video with you!


Okemo is one cool cat!

On Tuesday we posted a story on Okemo submitted by Okemo's "adopted mom."  This posting truly touched the hearts of our readers--as several folks left comments on our Facebook page regarding this posting.  This is a must-read story!  The article highlighted the importance of our cat adoption program.  If you ever thought about adopting one of our frisky cats, now would be a great time to learn more about the program.  Click HERE for adoption information!

Taking Care of "Cheetah" Business!
Wednesday's blog posting featured two hard working gentlemen, Stephen and Marvin, laying down the first poles for our new cheetah "Fast Track Habitat" -- to the sounds of "Taking Care of Business," of course!  Every week we shall provide you with an update on cheetahs' new home, so stay tuned!

If you are interested in helping us build our cheetahs' habitat and you have some free time on your hands, we would love for you to come out and help us! We need welders and folks willing to put in a few hours of hard work for a fantastic cause. Please contact Vicky via email with questions regarding the type of assistance we require! Thank you!!

Yesterday, we officially welcomed three new interns:  Becky, Sara, and Randi!  Welcome to the family ladies!  No doubt you will acquire a lot of memorable stories about the animals that you'll be sharing with friends and family for years to come!  Remember to work hard and have lots of fun!

We also alerted you to a great Cafepress sale going on right now, featuring our own products!  Are you looking for a graduation, Memorial or Father's Day gift?  We have a huge line of gifts for you to choose from and for Dad--how about a BBQ apron featuring our handsome Okemo or one of our great muscle tees?  This sale ends on May 20th, so put your order in today...and remember, a portion of the sale goes towards animal care!  You can still take advantage of the 35% discount by using coupon code TULIP35!

Well, this concludes another week at In-Sync Exotics!  Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter as we continually add new material throughout the day on our wild ones! 

Oh, and in case you haven't heard, we are having a P-A-R-T-Y and you are invited!!  For more details about this very special event, please click HERE!

So, until next week, be safe, and if you are in the neighborhood, come out a visit the animals!. We are open for tours!

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Thursday, May 17, 2012

Meet Our New Interns!

We are very excited to announce that we have three new Interns!

Stryker is REALLY looking at Becky!
Our first Intern, Rebecca Suzenski hails from West Suffield, CT and she started her Internship with us on May 11, 2012!   Becky is pursing a degree in Captive Wildlife Care and Education from Unity College, graduating May 2013.  Becky completed an internship at the Southwick's Zoo where she took part in all aspects of animal care and facility maintenance. She also volunteered at the Second Chance Ranch mucking stalls. She has worked at 'On Target Miniatures' where she participated in the breeding, training and medical care of the animals. She would like to be a big cat keeper one day.  Her well-rounded experience will certainly be a plus for us!  Two lion paws up and a Sabu mighty roar of welcome to you, Becky!

Kazuri looks so handsome
posing with Sara!
Please welcome Sara Wilkes from Ohio as she began her Internship with us on May 13th!  Sara is pursing a degree in biology from Denison University and will graduate in the Spring of 2015! Sara has worked in the Sedgwick County Zoo as a volunteer for the past four years. She has over 940 hours of hands on experience working with animals. She is not afraid of hard work (that's a plus at In-Sync Exotics!!) and she wants to be a veterinarian at a sanctuary or zoo. Sara was able to work with zookeepers that taught her how to care for and respect animals. We are doubly blessed with an Intern with years of animal experience!  Two cougar paws up and a mighty Cerella yell of welcome to you, Sara!

Is Harley sticking out his tongue at Randi?
Silly tiger!
Howdy (Texas greeting) Randi Lesagonicz!  Randi is from Reading, PA and she started her Internship with us on May 15th.  Randi is pursing a degree in Wildlife Biology at the University of Montana and will graduate May 2014! She has worked with a variety of animals in a pet store and volunteered at the Missoula Humane Society. Randi had an opportunity to work alongside a zookeeper at the Philadelphia Zoo where she learned what it takes to care for exotic animals in a zoo environment and helped education of children on the animals under the zoo's care. Randi would like to eventually get her Masters in Wildlife Biology and conduct animal research on a variety of mammals.  Two tiger paws up and a mighty Okemo chuff  of welcome to you, Randi!

We are expecting two more Interns at the end of this month--so we will have a full-house very soon!

Our new interns went through a stringent application process before they were selected to participate in our Internship program.  Ever wondered what it takes to Intern at In-Sync?

Well, you:
  • Must be 18 years or older.
  • Must have completed or working towards a degree in an animal related field.
  • Must be of good health and physical endurance.
  • Must be able to lift 50 pounds.
  • Must be willing to work in all weather conditions, including extreme temperatures.
  • Must be willing to work 5-6 days a week, 40 - 50 hours per week, including one night for a minimum of 12 weeks. Extensions beyond the 12 weeks will be considered on an individual basis.
  • Must be willing to work weekends and holidays.
  • Must work well in a team environment.
  • Must be willing to listen and follow directions.
  • Must be responsible and willing to work hard.
  • Must love and respect animals (now that goes without saying, right?)

Wow!  We are very grateful for our Interns' passion to care for animals!  Animal care is a 24/7 day labor of love and it takes a lot of dedication and heart to take care of our animals--so welcome ladies to the In-Sync Exotics' family!  

If you are interested in becoming an In-sync Exotics' Intern, please visit our Intern web page HERE!  The deadline for our Fall Internship Session (September - November) is July 15th!  If you are interested in zoology, biology, or any of the other "olgies" degrees related to animal care, then this is the place to learn about exotic wild animal care!

So, when you come out to visit, be sure to say hello to our newest Interns.  In no time at all, they will be very proficient at exotic wild animal care and will be able to answer all your questions about our wild ones!

~ And now, for our shameless commercial announcement ~

Great for Dad!
Just in time for Graduation, Memorial and Father's Day celebrations, we have new t-shirts displayed on the on-line gift store for guys and gals.  There is a sale going on right now for  our products.  This sale ends on May 20, 2012, at 11:59 p.m. (PT).  All orders must be from the CafePress Marketplace. Offer valid online at CafePress only, cannot be combined with any other coupons or promotions and may change, be modified or cancelled at anytime without notice. This promotion cannot be applied to past orders.

If you haven't checked out the on-line gift shop in a while, then you are missing out on some very cool new items! You can get flip flops with the cats on them, just in time for the warmer weather! Plus hats, tank tops, tote bags, gym bags, and more! 

In order to take advantage of the 35% discount, this is what you’ll need to do:

1. Find the item on our store page that you would like to purchase at http://www.cafepress.com/insyncexotics.

2. Write down or select/copy the product number (ex: Product Number: 030-627415283).


Great for Grad!
3. Go to www.cafepress.com and enter the product number minus our store id (030) in the search line at the top of the web page (ex: 627415283). Or you could type in the Cafepress.com search field "In-Sync Exotics." You should see our products listed on their main site. The sale prices does not apply towards our own gift store products--only the products seen on Cafepress.com's main site.

4. Once you see your desired product, you are now ready to order or order or continue shopping using the same steps above. 

Don't forget to enter the coupon code TULIP35 at checkout to receive the 35% discount. In-Sync Exotics will receive 10% of the total sales after the discount!!

Great for Memorial Day!
If you have any problems with your on-line order or you simply want to place your order by telephone, you can call Cafepress' friendly customer service representatives at 1-877-809-1659. Just be sure to have the product number(s) handy when you call.


Let us know what your reaction was to this posting by clicking on one of the reaction buttons below and don't forget to share this posting with your family, friends, and co-workers by using the share buttons below.  We'd love to hear what you think of our postings, so feel free to comment anytime!  Thanks!


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Wednesday, May 16, 2012

We Are Taking Care of Business!

Last summer, two very special exotic cats arrived at In-Sync Exotics--Sam and Kodi!  Thanks to many kind donors and the Chase Community Giving Program we were able to secure enough funds to purchase the materials needed to build the cheetah's "Fast Track Habitat!"

Last Saturday, the first posts were laid, thanks to several hard working volunteers and staff!  Here's a little video honoring the first posts laid for our cheetahs' new home!  Enjoy!




In-Sync Exotics -- We are "Taking Care of Cheetah Business!"


If you are interested in helping us build our cheetahs' habitat and you have some free time on your hands, we would love for you to come out and help us!  We need welders and anyone willing to put in a few hours of hard work for a fantastic cause.  Please contact Vicky via email with questions regarding the type of assistance we require!  Thank you!!

Let us know what your reaction was to this posting by clicking on one of the reaction buttons below and don't forget to share this posting with your family, friends, and co-workers by using the share buttons below!  

And again, thank you for supporting In-Sync Exotics!

Oh, and just in time for Memorial and Father's Day, we have new t-shirts displayed on the on-line gift store for guys and gals. There is a sale going on right now for some of our products.  This sale ends on May 20, 2012, at 11:59 p.m. (PT).  All orders must be from the CafePress Marketplace. Offer valid online at CafePress only, cannot be combined with any other coupons or promotions and may change, be modified or cancelled at anytime without notice. This promotion cannot be applied to past orders.

If you haven't checked out the on-line gift shop in a while, then you are missing out on some very cool new items! You can get flip flops with the cats on them, just in time for the warmer weather! Plus hats, tank tops, tote bags, gym bags, and more! 

In order to take advantage of the 35% discount, this is what you’ll need to do:

1. Find the item on our store page that you would like to purchase at http://www.cafepress.com/insyncexotics.

2. Write down or select/copy the product number (ex: Product Number: 030-627415283).
3. Go to www.cafepress.com and enter the product number minus our store id (030) in the search line at the top of the web page (ex: 627415283). Or you could type in the Cafepress.com search field "In-Sync Exotics." You should see our products listed on their main site. The sale prices does not apply towards our own gift store products--only the products seen on Cafepress.com's main site.

4. Once you see your desired product, you are now ready to order or order or continue shopping using the same steps above. Be sure to compare the In-Sync Exotics' store prices against the Cafepress' store prices. Sometimes we are cheaper than Cafepress!

Don't forget to enter the coupon code TULIP35 at checkout to receive the 35% discount. In-Sync Exotics will receive 10% of the total sales after the discount!!

If you have any problems with your on-line order or you simply want to place your order by telephone, you can call Cafepress' friendly customer service representatives at 1-877-809-1659. Just be sure to have the product number(s) handy when you call.




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Tuesday, May 15, 2012

A Long Awaited Visit to In-Sync Exotics!

Yesterday's posting alluded to a California friend who flew from her home state to Texas just to spend some quality time with her adopted tiger!  

We asked if we could do a story about her visit since she traveled a great distance just to meet her adopted tiger.  She not only said yes, but she asked if she could write a brief post about her experiences with adoption program, her time spent with Okemo, and her overall experience with In-Sync Exotics! 

So without further ado, may I introduce to you Patrica J. Darling, also known to us at PJ:

A Long Awaited Visit

I found out about In-Sync Exotics through Tim, a Cisco employee, who sent an email sharing his volunteering experience and encouraged everyone to donate to this wonderful organization (where each donation is matched, up to $1000.00 by Cisco). I donated $100.00 without any hesitation for three reasons; 1) This organization was on Cisco’s approved vendor list for donations matching, 2) any organization that dedicates their lives to saving animals is worth supporting in two ways; monetary and service and 3) I am such a lover of tigers! After I sent my donation I checked out the website, and sent an email inquiring if I could sponsor a tiger. Vicky responded right away and after some dialogue, she followed up with Okemo’s bio and photo. I fell in love instantly! Shortly after I had made the decision to sponsor him, Vicky sent me the news of Okemo’s cancer with the understanding if I wanted to sponsor another big cat, she would completely understand. I said “I am sure you are running up bills for the doctor and medicine to keep Okemo comfortable, and I am dedicated to moving forward with the sponsorship.”


I have heard all about Okemo and what a wonderful tiger he is; sweet and loving, and chuffs when the people caring for him come by. I decided to fly down to meet Okemo. My friend Todd and I arrived on Friday, and spent our entire Saturday at In-Sync Exotics. We arrived at 9:30AM to help get the facility get ready for visitors. I had 7 friends, who live in Dallas, come to see Okemo and the other big cats as well. Lakshmi, In-Syncs' Educational Director, brought Todd and I directly to Okemo . On our way to his den, she explained all of the rules and why they have these rules. She also educated us on tiger’s innate behavior, they will eat you so keep your distance! After much calling, Okemo did not come out of his den right away, so we spent time with Jasmine, Okemo’s neighbor, and learned how she and her mate for 19 years, Raja Bell, came to In-Sync. Raja passed away late last year, but is remembered, by a bell that is placed just to the left of door, and is rung each time we exit the cage area. Jasmine is a gorgeous tiger, who is feisty, and will not hesitate to bite you when given the opportunity. I respected Jasmine and admired her from a safe distance, even though I wanted to reach out and touch her. After spending some time with Jasmine and other neighboring tigers, Okemo came out in all his glory. He is absolutely a magnificent tiger, the largest tiger Vicky has seen at In-Sync, with a face you just want to grab and come nose to nose with. His eyes just sparkled as he slowly moved out of his den. He chuffed a hello. I was so overcome by his beauty, his size, his peaceful presence, he left me breathless. I am so very happy to have met Okemo…words cannot describe how this tiger has warmed my heart…and it has been an honor to know him.

Later in the day, Vicky came over, and I got to see the side of Okemo I have heard so much about. When Vicky knelt down behind the gentle tiger and massaged his back, he chuffed, got up and turned around to begin playing with her. Vicky put her hand up to Okemo, letting him know that’s enough. He just chuffed and followed her with his eyes.

This was how our visit continued: we saw all the big and small cats, while the lions sang and talked to each other, the tigers entertained themselves with their barrels, and the white lions sat majestically on their perch. We saw Nugget, a marsupial like creature, get a shot, while Okemo received his pain medication. We helped clean cages, put in posts for the new 14,000 square foot Cheetah habitat, and loved a few domestic kitties and Lab named Katy. The highlight of the day was feeding time. I absolutely loved witnessing how every In-Sync care giver provided each cat their food with love and care. Not only in preparation and handling of the food, but how it was given and making sure each cat, large or small, consumed their share. It was fun to see how excited Mohan got during each course: the main meal, treats, treats and more treats. It was cool to see Justin have Mohan stand on his hind legs to reach for the meaty treat from 10 feet high. It was delightful to hear the coos and praises from each handler toward their favorite cats…and I mean every cat is their favorite! Another thing I was really impressed with was how everyone communicated with each other, where they were, what was going, if a cat was upset by someone’s presence (and confronting the individual to move away), who was not eating, who did not consume their medicine, who was going out in to the playground , peppered with humor, food orders, and see you tomorrows, followed by double checking everything. The cats are so loved that every cat who had come and gone is always remembered! There is a shrine built for each cat who passed away and there are also paw prints painted in the restroom with the cats name by it. If the cat passed away, there is a date of when they departed from this world.

I am impressed with the team! There is a solid system of putting the cats first, having each other’s back and having fun. Vicky is incredible! She has such a presence, each and every cat, responds to her. They want to be near her. She is magically! I was amazed by each and every one I met and feel not only great about supporting such a wonderful place and cause, but also knowing that Okemo is in the perfect place to spend his remaining days. He is very much loved by everyone and one day will have a shrine for all to remember and know him!

Todd and I truly enjoyed our visit. We have definitely been touched by cats, the people and the essence of this wonderful place. We are spreading the word of In-Sync Exotics, a hidden treasure found in Wylie, to everyone we meet! May we touch their hearts as Vicky and all of the cats have touched ours. We plan to fly back in 6 months to volunteer again…until then, “chuff, chuff” to all of our new friends at In-Sync…our new sanctuary!
  
PJ Darling
Sponsor of Okemo
Morgan Hill, California

PJ's Friends on Tour
It was our pleasure to meet PJ and we are very grateful for the time she and Tim spent with Okemo, as sadly this may have been the only opportunity for PJ to meet her adopted tiger. Our boy was very outgoing on Saturday and Sunday, as he thoroughly enjoyed all the attention he received! We are also thankful for the hours PJ and Tim spent cleaning cages, putting down posts for a new cage, and then helping us feed our wild ones.  We'd also like to include a special thank you to PJ's friends who were able to visit In-Sync Exotics for the first time! We hope everyone had a great time visiting the animals!

We cannot begin to tell you how important the animal adoption program is to In-Sync Exotics.  Thanks to our new sponsor, PJ, Okemo is assured special food and medicine he requires daily for the rest of his life.  If you are interested in sponsoring one of our animals, please click HERE for details on this special program.  When you sponsor an animal, you are truly making a difference in their life. 

Let us know what your reaction was to this posting by clicking on one of the reaction buttons below and don't forget to share this posting with your family, friends, and co-workers by using the share buttons below!

Thank you so much for supporting In-Sync Exotics!

http://insyncexotics.blogspot.com/2012/05/long-awaited-visit-to-in-sync-exotics.html
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Monday, May 14, 2012

Our Bobcat Jasper's First Video!

The weather here in North Texas is getting warmer and our cats are venturing more into their pools and tubs.  Even our newest resident, Jasper, is getting into the act.  Normally, bobcats do not like to play with water, but if necessary, they can swim.  Jasper surprised us when he decided to...
                       ....well, you'll just have to see for yourself!

We dedicate this first video of Jasper to our new California friends!  One of our special Cali friends traveled from her home state to our sanctuary,  just so she could spend some time with a very special tiger she adopted and then volunteered her services by helping our staff clean enclosures and prepare meals for our wild ones.

So, as we get ready for our Big Birthday Bash, we hope you enjoy our video featuring Jasper and friends as we give a huge shout out to our new friend who traveled all the way from the Sunshine State to spend quality time with our animals and staff!




If this video brought a smile to your face, let us know by clicking on one of our reaction buttons below and don't forget to share this blog page with family and friends!  Thank you!!