EXCITING NEWS! Meet our newest resident - Titan!

Titan is the newest resident of IEAS and we couldn't be happier that we are able to give this amazing tiger a new life. Titan was rescued from the Kelly-Miller Circus, a traveling circus based out of Oklahoma. Richard Gilbreth, Executive Director, received a call on March 28 from the USDA saying they needed to find a home for a male tiger. Quoted by the USDA, "The tiger wouldn't perform for the circus."

After hearing this, Richard and IEAS knew we had to rescue this innocent tiger. At the time, we just didn't know how fast we needed to act. The Circus was set up in Bridgeport, just 15 miles from the Sanctuary. Since it is a traveling Circus, they were leaving that night, so Richard and Roy headed to Bridgeport to rescue this tiger. The tiger was being kept in a 6X6 cage where all he could do is stand up and barely turn around.

Needless to say, this tiger was ready to get out of those conditions. He loaded right up into his transfer cage and made the short trip to his new home. He has been housed in our Quarantine area but is moving to his new habitat TODAY! Look out for pictures of him after he has settled in! His spacious habitat will consist of trees, grass, perches, a pool and plenty of enrichment items to play with. He will be able to enjoy his stress-free life here at IEAS where he will receive the best quality care.

This tiger will never again have to perform for anyone.

Help Quench Our Thirst!

Looking for a reason to come out to IEAS? Well, if 67 extraordinary animals and the chance for a once in a lifetime experience aren't enough, we are having a SPECIAL EVENT this weekend!

Friday, Saturday and Sunday (April 29, 30, and May 1), you can tour IEAS for the small donation of a CASE OF WATER! With summer on its way, the Sanctuary needs to prepare for all the thirsty supporters that will be headed to IEAS. Having lots of water on hand is key to a great tour experience in the middle of these hot, Texas summers, and YOU can help us get ready.

The normal suggested donation of $20 per adult and $10 per child will be waived if each member of your group brings one case of water bottles (at least a 12 pack)! JUST REMEMBER: children must be at least 7 YEARS OLD to tour IEAS. So, those cases of water, they may be heavy but it's a great, inexpensive way to help IEAS and see the amazing animals living at the Sanctuary!

We hope to see you lugging

those cases of water into

the Sanctuary this weekend!

Remember, this is for Friday, Saturday and Sunday!

Call 940-433-5091 for more information!

Celebrate Easter with IEAS!

Any plans for that time between your morning Easter Egg Hunt and the Easter dinner? Well, a tour of the International Exotic Animal Sanctuary would be a great idea for the whole family!

Just thinking about your visit is making Chrissy smile!

IEAS tours are a great experience for everyone. Instead of Easter BUNNIES, you will have the opportunity to see Easter tigers, lions, leopards, grizzly bears, jaguars, black bears, and more! It will be a wonderful holiday trip for everyone! So as an Easter present to the felines and bears living at IEAS, you and your family could make a trip out to the Sanctuary and pay them an Easter visit! Everyone deserves a "hello" from friends on Easter right?

New Tigers in their Pool!

Well, we've seen evidence of the new male and female tigers going in their pool before, but we finally saw it first hand! The male tiger seems to love the cool, running water in the evenings, especially when he brings his favorite toy in - his pickle! He was spotted the other day in his pool rolling around and pushing his pickle underwater!

Here are some pictures that Amanda, an intern, was able to get...

Come out to IEAS to get a first hand look at this water-loving big cat!

www.bigcat.org

Peanut Party!

Every Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday here at IEAS mean something exciting for Scooter, Greta, and Scamp - a Peanut Party! These three American black bears cubs have been working with Louis Dorfman, our Animal Behaviorist since they were only a few weeks old. Since then, they have spent quality time together, munching on peanuts.

While they are lots of fun for these bears, Peanut Parties are not just a snack or play time. These sessions allow Scooter, Greta, and Scamp to socialize, relax, and understand their caretakers, ensuring their comfort and trust in them.

Because of this comfort, these three rambunctious cubs have the reputation of always putting on a good show for tours! Often times, they follow the tour group around Bear Orphanage, playing, pouncing, and wrestling with each other. To see just how funny they can be, check out their wrestling match at the following link...

The Wrestling Match!

Our newest set of interns has been at IEAS for about 6 weeks now! They have completed their initial training and have begun learning about and working on new and different projects.

Here at the Sanctuary, we do lots of work with mortar and cement. Whether in building a cave, repairing a pool, or fixing a water trough, an animal caretaker at IEAS has to be comfortable and confident working with these materials. Interns Amanda, Elyse, Jennie, Jamie, Danielle, and Sydney had their first taste of this work just a few days ago when they learned how to build a water trough.

Click the link below to check out the video!

Interns Building a Water Trough Video

Our First School Tour of the Season!

Yesterday, the Sanctuary had its first group of students come from Paradise Elementary School! It was an exciting day, and we are looking forward to when more schools will be coming out, but the Paradise kids were a great bunch to start the season with!

Over 50 youngsters came out and from the second they got off the bus, we could see they were eager to experience IEAS! They were pointing out all of the cats and bears they could see from the parking lot, clearly excited to get started! After separating into groups, they were led around the Sanctuary and had the perfect day! They were able to see a ton of wonderful animals, some even put on a great show for them, like Scooter, Greta, and Scamp, who decided the kids might like to watch a wrestling match!

We couldn't thank the teachers enough for bringing the kids out. WE had a great time showing them around and teaching them about the animals, their wild cousins, and how they could help conserve these species! They were really interested in learning all about IEAS and asked a ton of great questions.

If you know of a school that might benefit from a visit to IEAS, send us an e-mail and we will contact them! OR, you can let the school know about IEAS Conservation Education tours. Just remember, the students all need to be at least 7 years old!

Hope to see you ALL at IEAS soon!

Spring is a great time for...

...lots of visitors at IEAS!

Spring is the perfect time to visit the Sanctuary. Right now, we have the perfect weather for tours as many of the cats are out basking in the sun and enjoying the breeze before the Texas summers set in! We can promise that you'll see lots of happy cats and bears playing in their freshly grown grass. Khera, a Bengal tiger, loves to roll in her grass as the tour goes by! Scooter, Scamp, and Greta, three American black bears, have been known to put on a great show playing in their meadow as the tour passes.

Spring isn't good only for tours! If you've already visited IEAS and have fallen in love with a certain animal, spring is a great season to adopt a cat or bear and visit it often! The animals are very active in the spring and would love to make a new friend! To learn more about our Adopt-An-Animal Program, click the link below:

Adopt an Animal!

We hope to see you ALL out at IEAS soon!

The cats and bears of the Sanctuary will appreciate your friendship!

And the Winners Are...

Meet Duke and Duchess!

Congratulations to the new Adoptive Parents of these very special cougars!

There were so many great names to choose from that it was a very difficult decision, but Duke and Duchess can now look forward to spending quality time with Adoptive Parents who can truly make a difference in their lives!

If you submitted

one of these names,

please contact us,

via Facebook or

e-mail us at

iefsedu@aol.com!

We are excited to see you out at IEAS!