Trick or treat with the Big Cats...whaaa?
Two-and-a-half-year-old Amina Houghton, didn’t seem scared of the big kittys one bit. After-all, what little girl would not like early trick-or-treating, with some cute puddy tats.
This past weekend, Amina, along with her mother Stevie Houghton, Stevie’s sister Morningstar Peoples, Stevie’s mother, and her mother’s boyfriend, did just that.
Wisconsin Big Cat Rescue, located in Rock Springs, Wisconsin, just 20 minutes Southwest of Wisconsin Dells, hosted their annual ‘Trick or treat with the big cats’. Geared as one of the rescues’ biggest fundraiser, the event drew a crowd of several hundred from all over.
“We’ve went the past two years, and it's been awesome. Now that Amina’s older she calls them big kittys. I like that it's not expensive, and helps bring in donations.” Houghton said.
She shared that her daughter has a Daniel tiger at home that she favors, and uses it as her napping buddy.
Amina’s mom admitted it’s hard to come up with a costume for Halloween for her daughter and said that she was glad her mom pulled through this year.
The rescue, a non-profit organization for large predatory cats like lions, tigers, and leopards, depends on donations and volunteers, to provide a safe and healthy home to live out the rest of their lives in peace.
The mission of Wisconsin Big Cat Rescue, is to provide a safe place and a comfortable home for abused, neglected, and unwanted big cats, and to educate the public about these extraordinary animals, and the actions that necessitate the need for a Wisconsin Big Cat Rescue & Educational Center.
“We are a rescue sanctuary for big cats. We take in cats that were abused and unwanted by private owners, people who think they make good pets, zoos that shut down, or more animals that need a home. So, we give them a home here at our place. This is where they live out the rest of their lives,” said owner Jeff Kozlowski.
Jeff and his wife Jenny, started the rescue in 2006, knowing it would be a lot of hard work and take unrelenting dedication, but both noted, they are happy making a difference in their cats’ lives. Lives that would certainly end in euthanasia if it weren’t for the Kozlowskis.
“We’ve gotten them from as far away as Texas. We did a big rescue in Indiana. Animal Planet did a documentary called “The Tiger Next Door”. That was us down there picking up those cats,” Jeff said.
Caring for several White Siberian tigers, Bengal tigers, Leopards, and Lions, does not come cheap. Jeff shared that, “with the big cats, you have vet care and food bills. I’d say that is our biggest issue. They get fed and get their vet care, but you’re always worried about something else. When you have 20 some cats and you have a bad year and 6 or 7 get sick, the bills pile up pretty quick. We are able to sustain this place. It’s doing the fundraisers and everything we do to make sure that we are able to take care of the animals that keeps the place going.”
Jeff stressed the ‘Trick or Treat’ is probably their biggest event. “We do this for the kids. We decided last year we were going to try an event like this for the adults, so we did what we call ‘Boozin’ with the big cats’. We had wineries, distilleries, breweries here. People can go around and take whatever they are interested in and be able to see the tigers. As of now, this is our biggest, but we are certainly going to do that in the summer.”
With Siberian Tigers living in the wild, used to a colder climate, Kozlowski said many visitors ask how the other cats do in the winter. “A lot of people ask, because lions are from Africa, but they all get thicker coats, they all adapt. Last year when it was 30/40 below, I was in my house and they were out playing in the snow,” he said chuckling.
The Kozlowskis are planning an expansion of their facility that sits on thirty acres, in the near future, including a much-needed parking lot. Motioning with his arm, Jeff said, “Up here on the hill, we are going to put cabins. We’ll have two big cabins, so you’ll be able to stay here and look down on the cats. You’ll be able to sit on the deck and hear the lions roar. It will be a different experience. In the end we are only going up to four cabins, so it will be an exclusive thing. We are hoping in the first year the cabins raise enough money to finish our vet and educational center, that way we can do our vet care here.”
Currently, the Kozlowskis have to sedate their cats and take them Madison or Lodi for proper vet care, and note that the more technical surgeries are performed at a veterinarian school in Madison. “Luckily, we’ve only had to go there for one. We actually performed a surgery here just a few months ago. Our vet brought all their stuff here, and we did it here. It went great,” he said with a smile.
When asked how they come across cats in need of rescuing he said, “People will find us. They get a cub and think it’s cute. Six months later it isn’t so cute. We get a lot of calls from state and federal governments from seizures, and we will go get them. Everything is on our website.”
While the confinement of wild animals has carried on as controversial topic, the Kozlowskis, are selflessly dedicated, to giving these majestic and beautiful animals, the best chance at a healthy, and as happy as can be, life.
To help support this organization, visit http://www.wisconsinbigcats.org/, or on Facebook.
