Friday, June 8, 2012

Our Weekly Round-up!

Yea!  TGIF!  Another busy week of reporting In-Sync Exotics' happenings has come to a close!  For those of you who missed this week's postings, let's get you all caught up!

Jyxie loves playing with her
enrichment balls!
On Monday, we did a little spoof of our lions, Jynxie, Sabu, and Shazam, practicing their paw actions for the 2013 World Soccer Cup Series!  Our lions are just too cute as they prepare for the soccer competition!

We also gave a huge lion roar shout out to Enterprise Holdings Foundation for their donation of $2500!  Hollie Brown came out to In-Sync Exotics personally to present us with the check!!  Thank you very much Enterprise Holdings Foundation!  Our animals and staff truly appreciate the gift! 

Click HERE to read Monday's blog posting!

Chemyn preparing enrichment
boxes for the lions!


On Tuesday, we asked the question, do you know who Chemyn is?  In case you didn't know, Chemyn is on our board of directors and is a very active member--she's the one who posts the Caption Contest photos and answers your questions each day on Facebook PLUS she's responsible for....  Click HERE to ready Tuesday's blog posting!


Do you like spotted leopards?  Can you tell the difference between a spotted leopard and a jaguar?  If you answered yes to both questions, then chances are you read Wednesday's blog (else you just REALLY love spotted leopards)!  We started Wednesday's posting with a video taken by a young one who was on tour giving a running commentary of our leopards.  Too cute!  Then we showed you a different side of our spotted leopards, Java and Jett!  To see the video and to learn more about Java and Jet, click HERE!

Razoo's Twive and Receive
Prizes!!
Yesterday we announced an exciting national competition where In-Sync Exotics was chosen to represent Wylie, Texas (and the surrounding areas). 

Many of you have already donated to our causes on Razoo once or twice before and we profusely thank you!  This mid-year fundraiser is very important because this is the time of year when donations start to "dry up" some.  As you know, our operation is 24/7, which means we still have to pay the feed bills, the vet bills, the medicine bills, etc throughout the year.  Supporting events such as this will help us pay these bills.  Please consider making a kind donation of $10 or more on June 14th starting at 2:00am CST.  This special event will only last for 24-hours and then it's over! 

We cannot help but think, wouldn't it be a great birthday surprise if we were able to share in the $30k prize monies!  So please, let your friends, family, and co-workers know about this special Razoo project by any means possible (ie. Facebook, Twitter, email, telephone, carrier pigeon).  A great showing in the Razoo competition will provide us with publicity that money simply cannot buy and help put In-Sync Exotics and Wylie, Texas in front of the national stage! 

So let's get pumped up and do this for the animals of In-Sync Exotics!!  You can see our Razoo web page by clicking HERE.  Remember, do not donate until June 14th so every dollar will be counted towards the prize money!  Thank you!

Hidden Treasure!!

If you are lucky enough to live close to us, then you will find this next fundraiser very interesting!  Our local Walmart Supercenter, located at 2050 North Highway 78, Wylie, TX 75098, confirmed that we can host our garage sale at this location! Thank you Walmart!



Here's how it will work: On June 8th (Friday), from 9am to 9pm, you can drop off gently used or new donations at this Walmart store location. In-Sync Exotics' volunteers will price the items and load them into a box truck, where the items will be stored overnight.
Then on June 9th (Saturday), from 7am to 9pm our garage sale will take place. We will also continue to accept donations of items for the sale up until noon that same day. So come on out and support In-Sync Exotics by attending our special event at the Wylie's Walmart Supercenter. You never know, you just might find hidden "treasure" at our garage sale!

We are super excited because on June 16th we will be holding our annual Birthday Bash!  Be sure to make plans to attend this special event and don't forget your camera as you will undoubtedly be disappointed if you miss taking pictures of our wild ones going crazy over their new birthday presents!

We hope you enjoyed this week's In-Sync Exotics' happenings!  We are open for Tours Thursday - Sunday (click HERE for tour information).  Be sure to come back on Monday for more great stories from our sanctuary.  Have a safe and wonderful weekend!

Posted later in the afternoon:

We are making great progress on our new cheetah habitat!





No promises, but it the weather is agreeable, we may be holding a Grand Opening ceremony in July or early August!

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Thursday, June 7, 2012

Twive and Receive and In-Sync Exotics!

We have some exciting news to report!  In-Sync Exotics was selected to represent Wylie (and the surrounding areas), Texas in Razoo's upcoming Twive and Receive competition!

Here are the details:

On June 14, hundreds of communities across America, like In-Sync Exotics, will compete to win $30,000 in awards for local nonprofits.

Our Twitter Logo!
Twive and Receive is a 24-hour online giving competition that teams Twitter followers and locally supporting nonprofits to fundraise and benefit their hometown. Each city will be represented by one cause (and we are that cause for Wylie (and surrounding areas)!

Communities fund raise using Twitter, other social networks, and electronic media. From today through June 13th, they'll be activating their communities to support their preferred local nonprofit on June 14th.

Twive and Receive will be held simultaneously across the United States for 24 hours on June 14th, starting at 12:00AM Pacific Time (3:00AM Eastern Time)! The top three nonprofits that raise the most money* get a share of the $30,000 award pool.

We know that Twive and Receive is a competition to win $30,000. But it’s more than that. More than 200 cities across America will fundraise for a local nonprofit together next week. Twive and Receive represents a powerful statement about this country’s generosity.

Click HERE for more details!

Our Twive and Receive page is ready to go and you can see it HERE!  In six (6) days we will be asking you to support us by making a kind donation, signing up as a fan, or hopefully both!!  Wouldn't winning a share of the $30k make a fantastic birthday present to the animals?  This is a very inexpensive way (minimum $10 donation) of showing your support of our mission as well as helping us make an impact within our community! 

It is very important that ALL our volunteers and supporters reach out to their friends and family, asking for help to make this a very special ONE DAY event for us.  If you have a Twitter account, would you please tweet to everyone you follow that In-Sync Exotics needs help in the Twive and Receive competition! This is a social media competition, so let's get the word out via Facebook, Twitter, and email! 

Did you know that you can email and twitter this page to your friends and family by clicking on the email and/or twitter buttons below?  What a fast and easy way to let the imporatnt people in your life know that In-Sync Exotics needs their help to win this competition.  Plus you can share this posting on your Facebook page by clicking on the Facebook button, letting even more people know that we could really use their help in winning a share of the $30,000!

Please do this for the animals.  They need YOU!  So let's get revved up and ready to go...  just six days left until we can Twive and Receive!


Okemo would love it if you could help him win his share
 of the $30k!! Isn't he the best?!

Time to "Treasure Hunt" at our Garage Sale!

More exciting news!  Our local Walmart Supercenter, located at 2050 North Highway 78, Wylie, TX 75098, confirmed that we can host our garage sale at this location! Thank you Walmart!

Here's how it will work: On June 8th (Friday), from 9am to 9pm, you can drop off gently used or new donations at this Walmart store location. In-Sync Exotics' volunteers will price the items and load them into a box truck, where the items will be stored overnight.

Then on June 9th (Saturday), from 7am to 9pm our garage sale will take place. We will also continue to accept donations of items for the sale up until noon that same day. So come on out and support In-Sync Exotics by attending our special event at the Wylie's Walmart Supercenter. You never know, you just might find hidden "treasure" at our garage sale!

Sabu hopes you can shop at our Garage Sale this Saturday!

Please share this page with as many people as you can by clicking on the share buttons below.  We are only as successful as your very best effort and we cannot be successful without you! 

Thank you for your part in these fantastic events--we love ya!

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Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Out of the Mouths of Babes!

Out of the mouths of babes!  This adorable video of our leopards taken by a young child will make your day.  We are absolutely amazed how young ones love to watch and learn about our cats--especially when it comes to our two spotted leopards, Java and Jett!



You can hear in the background the children discussing Java and Jett--are they cougars?  Is Jett a jaguar?  How about Java?  Is he a black panthar?

We get these type of questions all the time! 

Jett loves his enrichment bags filled
with cinnamon!
Jett is a yellow-spotted leopard and leopards are considered the smallest of the big "4" wild cats (lion, tiger, and jaguar; excluding ligers and tigons). Often he is confused with a jaguar, because of his coloring and spots. But if you take a closer look at these two cats, you'll see they are actually quite different.  

Here is a side-by-side comparison between leopards (Jett) and Jaguars:


If you'll notice, Jaguars have "spots" within their darker, thicker spots (also known as rosettes) plus they have  larger heads and muscular-looking bodies.  Our leopards are sleaker and very graceful in their movements. 

Java loves flowers!

Java is a black spotted leopard, often called "black panthers," and he has a recessive gene that makes his coat look solid black (occurs in black colored jaguars too). Although they may at first look solid black, his spotted pattern is visible from the right angle.


A black colored jaguar




Java is not to be confused with the black colored jaguar seen here. 








Java (l) and Jett (r)
Don't you agree that we have very handsome leopards!  We'd love for you to meet Java and Jett in person--so make tracks to In-Sync Exotics for our annual birthday birthday bash where our two special cats will receive their birthday presents!

We still have a few more "shipping" days left if you are interested in purchasing a birthday gift for a wild ones!  Please click HERE for our wishlist! 


Many purrs of thanks to our generous gift givers -- the boxes are arriving daily and we are very excited about seeing our cats' reactions to their birthday presents this year!  There will definitely be a lot of pictures and videos of the Birthday Bash polsted to the blog after the event.  We are overwhelmed with your generosity and we humbly thank you on behalf of the cats and Nugget!

So?  What did you think of today's posting of our handsome boys?  We'd love to hear from you!   Oh, and don't forget to click on one of the reaction buttons below. And always, don't forget to share your favorite blog postings with family, friends, and co-workers!

We close today's blog with just a few more pictures of our rather shy leopards!

Looking good Jett!

Java wants to know if you see his spots!

"Okay people, enough with the camera!"

Lazy summer days!

Exercise time!  "Nothing to see here people--move on!"

"Finally!  I can hide from the camera!"

Darn!  You found me!
http://www.insyncexotics.blogspot.com/2012/06/out-of-mouths-of-babes.html

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Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Do You Know Who Chemyn Is?

In-Sync Exotics is blessed with an active board of directors whom frequently come out to In-Sync Exotics and volunteers their time and services.

We'd like to introduce you to some of our less shy board members who don't mind giving you a behind the scenes look at what they do for the animals.  Unlike many other sanctuaries, our board members are required to perform various services each month (such as feeding, cleaning, and working special events) for the animals.  Our directors are often seen at In-Sync Exotics, all hours of the day and night, in the company of our volunteers--leading by example! 

Our first board director who volunteered to tell you what she does for In-Sync Exotics is Chemyn Reaney!  Chemyn, you have the "floor!"

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Chemyn is preparing the lions'
enrichment boxes!
My name is Chemyn Reaney, and I have been volunteering at In-Sync Exotics since 2004. Shortly after my first visit to In-Sync Exotics, I realized that I wanted to do whatever I could to help these magnificent creatures. I started hanging around, getting under foot and just generally making a nuisance of myself, until someone finally took pity on me, handed me a hose, and showed me what to do with it. From that point on, I was hooked! I started off learning how to clean enclosures, and after some time, Vicky asked me if I would consider joining the board as Volunteer Coordinator. I was honored, and sincerely appreciate that she gave me a chance to contribute to the success of this organization. My professional background is in Human Resources, so it was a good fit for me.

Chemyn introduces new
volunteers to Sabu!
My role is essentially to provide information to people who want to join our team of volunteers, interview prospective volunteers, and complete new volunteer orientations. I write our monthly volunteer newsletter, and help everyone stay informed with what’s going on at the sanctuary. I’m also rather infamous for sending out incessant (and probably highly annoying) e-mails, asking for help from everyone! It never ceases to amaze me how generous our amazing volunteers are with their time. Each time I send out yet another plea for assistance with something, I am overwhelmed at the response. In addition to their regular volunteering duties, our volunteers will sit up all night with a sick cat, paint children’s faces at fund-raising events, dig ditches for new septic systems, stand at a booth all day at a festival letting people know what we do, or drive hundreds of miles to take cats that we were unable to rescue (due to space) to their new homes at other sanctuaries. The list goes on and on.

Chemyn provides the White Boys with
"scented" boxes as enrichment!  
In the last couple of years, I have taken on the additional responsibilities of Enrichment Coordinator (managing the enrichment program for the cats, which is a blast!) and administering the sanctuary’s Facebook page. Which is fairly ironic, because I’m probably the least technologically-savvy person out there!

A new group of volunteers learning
all about our wild ones from Chemyn!
Being a part of this organization has changed my life in so many ways. It sounds so cliché, but I feel that I have truly found my calling. The work can be exhausting, and because I have a full-time job as well, it can be challenging to do everything that I want to do at the sanctuary, but I wouldn’t give it up for anything. Getting to know each cat personally is an incredible experience. Each time that I think my heart is full, a new arrival comes, finds a tiny little empty spot in my heart, and neatly fits himself or herself into it. Watching a cat arrive who is terrified, traumatized, starved and sick, and seeing that same cat just a few months later playing, running, and enjoying life, is truly the most amazing thing I have ever witnessed. I am so honored to be able to be a small part of that transformation, and to work with this selfless group of people who give so much of themselves.

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We cannot thank Chemyn enough for her service!  For those of you who follow us on Facebook, it is Chemyn who posts the cutest pictures of our animals for the "Caption Contest" and answers any questions you might have about our sanctuary.  So next time you post a comment, be sure to say "Hello" to Chemyn!  If you happen to live in the local area and would like to volunteer at In-Sync Exotics (and of course say "hello" to Chemyn in person), please click HERE for details on how to join Team In-Sync!

In-Sync Exotics salutes Chemyn for her service with two paws up and mighty lion roars of approval!

We'd love to hear form you, so feel free to comment. Oh, and don't forget to click on one of the reaction buttons below. And always, don't forget to share your favorite blog postings with family, friends, and co-workers!
 
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Monday, June 4, 2012

Meet Our Soccer Champions!

Our exotic wild cats love playing with their enrichment toys--especially our lions!  Did you know that our lions have secretly been playing soccer in the hopes of making it to the 2013 World Cup Soccer in Brazil?  It's true!  Check out our hidden secret video of the lions practicing their soccer skills!


With a lot more practice, our lions could be serious contenders for next year's soccer games!  

Your kind donations of enrichment balls keeps our lions in tip top shape, so please consider gifting our lions some enrichment balls for their Annual Birthday Bash!  You can be sure, your gifts will keep our lions in shape and hone their natural soccer skills for our upcoming soccer competitions!  Thank you!!


Vicky, Kiro, and Hollie Brown
Thank you so much!
Mighty roars of thanks to Enterprise Holdings Foundation for gifting $2500.00 to In-Sync Exotics!  Hollie Brown awarded us with this amazing gift on Friday and we are truly grateful for their generosity -- thank you so much!!  


Happy Monday to you!  We'd love to hear form you, so feel free to comment. Oh, and don't forget to click on one of the reaction buttons below.  And always, don't forget to share your favorite blog postings with family, friends, and co-workers! 

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