Located in Tampa, Florida, the Big Cat Rescue is the largest big cat sanctuary in the world and is dedicated entirely to abused and abandoned big cats. Their mission is to help raise awareness about animal cruelty, give a home to those that have endured it and help educate visitors about big cats, to help end abuse and avoid future animal extinction.
Because of all the educational opportunities, the Big Cat Rescue is a great place to go on school fieldtrips and extracurricular activities. You can save time and money as a group when you travel in a passenger van rental. The students will not only learn about, but actually get to see over 100 lions, tigers, bobcats, cougars and other species in their natural habitat.
Big Cat Rescue Animals
A total of 14 species of cats live at the sanctuary, including Tigers, Lions, Leopards, Cougars, Bobcats, Lynx, Servals, Ocelots, Caracals, Jungle Cats, Leopard Cats, and Geoffroy Cats. Many of the animals at Big Cat Rescue are threatened or endangered. Some species are actually considered extinct in the wild and are monitored within captivity. Over 100 big cats call Big Cat Rescue their home.
The animals are brought to the Big Cat Rescue for a number of reasons including the following:
- An owner who wrongfully thought they would make good pets abandoned the animals.
- The animals were abused by previous owners and forced to perform in a variety of degrading roles.
- The animals have retired from performing.
- They were saved from being slaughtered to make cure coats.
- When the animal was a cub, they were rescued after hunters killed their mothers.
- The animal was sick or injured and could no longer survive in the wild.
The sanctuary began in 1992 when the Founder, Carole Baskin, and her then husband Don, mistakenly believing that bobcats made good pets went looking to buy some kittens. They inadvertently ended up at a “fur farm” and bought all 56 kittens to keep them from being turned into fur coats. Today the sanctuary is devoted to its Vision of a world where animals are treated with respect, and its Mission of providing the best possible home for the animals in our care and trying to stop the flow of animals needing sanctuary by educating the public about the plight of the animals and supporting stronger laws to protect them.
CBS Tampa recently ranked the Big Cat Rescue as one of the top Day Trips for families in the Tampa area because of its fun and educational aspects. The Big Cat Rescue is a great place to take children to inform them about the importance of animal preservation while having fun! If you need a vehicle that can fit up to 15 people, contact Carl’s Van Rentals today. Reserving one of our available passenger van rentals is perfect for informative group outings where the children outnumber the chaperone, like when visiting the Big Cat Rescue.