Happy Big Cat Halloween!

Big Cat Rescue is a nonprofit educational sanctuary devoted to the care and protection of big cats. To give their big cats the Halloween experience, Big Cat Rescue receives donated pumpkins left over after Halloween each year from Wal-Mart and local churches. Then, the big cats are each given a delicious pumpkin to enjoy as they wish; some eat the pumpkins while others simply play with them. Enjoy!

According to Big Cat Rescue, their Mission Statement is as follows:

“Big Cat Rescue, a non profit educational sanctuary, is devoted to rescuing and providing a permanent home for exotic (i.e. wild, not domestic) cats who have been abused, abandoned, bred to be pets, retired from performing acts, or saved from being slaughtered for fur coats, and to educating the public about these animals and the issues facing them in captivity and in the wild. 

The sanctuary is home to the most diverse population of exotic cats in the world, with 16 species and subspecies of wild cat represented among more than 100 residents.  These include tigers, lions, liger, leopards, cougars, bobcats, lynx, ocelots, servals, caracals and others, many of whom are threatened, endangered, or now extinct in the wild.”

To learn more about what you can do to help the big cats you care about, visit Big Cat Rescue and take action. The options are endless; donate either your time or money, become a sponsor, purchase merchandise from the Big Cat Store, or donate materials listed on the Big Cat Rescue Wish List. 

Temporary Wetlands for Migrating Birds: Flooded Farmlands

For a full, unedited transcript of the above video, visit National Geographic

The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico caused irreparable damage to the surrounding wetlands and its inhabitants; however, there seems to be hope on the horizon for numerous migratory birds heading south for the winter. In the wake of such a disaster, there is a plan in place to create temporary wetlands for migrating birds by flooding farmlands not currently in use. The ultimate objective is to keep the migratory birds away from the oil polluted wetlands of the Gulf while cleanup efforts continue.

This project is the Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative established by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. According to the NRCS, the Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative was created specifically “to improve habitat conditions and safeguard food sources for the migratory birds that could be impacted by the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill.” And in order to create enough available wetlands for any migrating birds wishing to take advantage of the clean water, NRCS is working with “private landowners, U. S. Coast Guard, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other conservation partners to establish habitat and food sources on participating lands for the migrating birds.” It is the hard work and devotion of the numerous people and agencies that make this Initiative a success.

The eight states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Texas) participating in the Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative are all located in “in major North American flyways, the primary routes shorebirds and waterfowl follow in their annual migration to and through the Gulf region.”

The Initiative’s popularity came as a surprise to the NRCS; interest in getting involved in the effort exceeded any preconceived expectations and there is now a waiting list for farmers wanting to join the cause.

To see photographs of migrating waterfowl, visit NRCS Bird Images

*all quoted material from NRCS