Beat the Heat!

It's going to be a hot one! This week is shaping up to be over 100 degrees almost every day, and that means that the animals (and people) at IEAS are finding ways to beat the heat!

Newt, relaxing under his mister!

For your four legged friends, pools, misters, and favorite shady spots are the chosen methods of staying cool. We are starting to see these guys really take advantage of these options, and it's wonderful to see how cool they can stay! Newt, one of the IEAS bobcats, loves his mister so much that he chooses to sit as close as possible, letting the mist soak his fur! Other residents, like the coatis, enjoy them just as much! Mork and Mindy often spend the afternoons on their perch that sits directly under their mister. However, when a friend comes to visit, they are more than happy to venture down to say hello!

The people at IEAS use the same methods as the animals to stay cool! Well, some of them! With 90-100 degree days, the staff has been taking full advantage of our "Big Pool." This pool, located near the Ed Browne Nutritional Center and the Meadows Dormitory, is a wonderful way to cool off and relax after what you know has been a day full of hard work! Additionally, IEAS has devised a few ways for tour goers to stay comfortable during their walking tour of the Sanctuary - people misters! The felines of IEAS have had them for some time, and we figured they'd be a great addition to the tour path! Now, several stations are set up where visitors pass under an archway of cool mist! Be sure to come out and beat the heat just like the residents do!

Wonder how we stay cool during the work day? Well, we find ways...

Intern Alex helping another intern, Jessica, cool off!

INTERN UPDATE: Almost Done with Training!

The new interns are almost done with their training! They've had three weeks of learning so far. It always takes some time to get the basics down because, with as many animals as there are living at IEAS, the "basics" includes a whole lot of information. Past interns can be a testament to the fact that it can be a bit overwhelming to jump right into the Sanctuary routines, but it can be even more rewarding than it is challenging, that's for sure!

In addition to getting our normal cleaning and daily procedures down, the interns have been dabbling in several other projects, already adding new abilities to their skill sets. Several of them learned all about mortaring as they helped us with Domino's new pool. A few others have been aiding Richard and Roy in habitat construction, building a new house for Danvir and Sajani! On top of this, cleaning pools, working with PVC pipe, painting and landscaping have been added to their lists of experiences!

Redecorating the Nutrition Center!

We've made a few changes to the Nutrition Center here at IEAS in the past few days! Several are minor changes, like the re-painting of a lion on the entrance door! This lion had been painted over many years ago, but we decided that it might add a little something to the Nutrition Center, so it's back in action!

Another addition to the front room is a large map of the United States! This may seem a bit out of place at an Animal Sanctuary, but on this map are dozens of colored pins, each indicating the current location of one of IEAS' former interns. These interns spent their time at IEAS, then moved on to other reputable animal facilities and agencies all over the country!

We love to add a new pin each time one of our former interns gets a job, because it shows us just how far our interns go! When an intern leaves the Sanctuary, it is an opportunity for our high standards of animal care to be spread across the nation and even the world! The new map in the Nutrition Center is a testament to how an experience at IEAS can help you get a foot in the door in the animal world, which is a very competitive career field. We couldn't be more proud to be represented in across the U.S., and we hope for the very best for each one of the former, current, and future interns of IEAS! 

Rainy Day Play!

For some of the animals at IEAS, rainy days mean it's time to lounge in the house and sleep the weather away. However, for others, the rain is just another opportunity to cool off and have some fun! 

Nala decided she'd prefer to seek refuge from the rain in her house!

A "through the rain" look at Titan enjoying the wet weather!

After feeding this morning, some very wet keepers wanted to see what some of the animals were up to! Most of them were napping in their houses, but others were outside and having some fun. The tigers were the most likely to be seen out and about. Tigers love water so it makes perfect sense that they might take advantage of an opportunity to cool off in the rain. Allie, Rasul, Kim, Karen, and Titan were outside on their perches, soaking up every drop of rain that they could! Karen took her enjoyment even further by hitting her big boomer ball into her pool, then pouncing straight onto it. This sent a mini tidal wave all over and spurred a play session that no rain storm could put a damper on!

George decided that the rainy weather made for a perfect swim session!

Karen wasn't the only one who thought the rain meant it was time for a swim. A little ways down the path from the playful tiger, George, one of the IEAS Grizzly bears, was kicked back in his pool, just relaxing. His brother, Willie, watched from nearby and eventually followed George's lead and jumped right into the pool, where the two engaged in one of their popular play sessions!

It's wonderful to see that a little bit of wet weather doesn't mean the there can't be some fun. Everyone is fed, happy, and safe, so for now, the keepers and interns are drying off and getting some inside work done! 

Wild Animal Instincts!

The animals who live at the International Exotic Animal Sanctuary, due to truly unfortunate circumstances, will live their lives in a captive setting, rather than in the wild. This, however, does not mean they are domesticated! Many people have the misconception that, because they were raised by humans, tigers, lions, and other animals living in a captive setting, will be affectionate, trusting, and safe for humans to be around. This is not AT ALL the case.

Here at IEAS, we are careful to never get TOO comfortable. We stress the understanding that though these animals know us and often trust us (to a degree), we would never be 100% safe around them. A wild animal's instincts, regardless of how they are raised, can be very strong and VERY dangerous!

We get reminders every day that the animals we care for are, in fact, wild. It doesn't take much to indicate that an animal is feeling a bit instinctual. Thor and Duchess, two cougars, instinctively stalk humans as they pass by, only moving when our backs are turned. As another example, tigers, being ambush predators, would normally pounce on their prey when they least expected it. As such, if we were to turn our backs to them at the wrong moment, it may cause them to jump, simply as a natural reaction. For this reason, we are extremely careful and aware of every animal we work around, never turning our backs to them, thereby avoiding any unnecessary excitement or agitation.

So, remember! Regardless of how they are raised, 

wild animals are just that - WILD! 

Animal instincts are strong and innate!

Thinking about a Tour?

Lots of people like to do new and different things during the summer! It's a great season to get out and see the sights, and the perfect time to explore what the Dallas/Fort Worth area has to offer! Well, the International Exotic Animal Sanctuary is a wonderful attraction just 45 minutes north of Dallas, and our daily tours are an amazing opportunity to come out and see what we're all about!

On your walking tour of the Sanctuary, you will be introduced to the resident exotic animals, all of which were rescued from situations where they had been abandoned, abused, neglected, confiscated, or previously owned by people unwilling or unable to care for them. These animals' species range from big cats like lions, tigers, jaguars, and leopards, to bears, such as American black bears and grizzly bears, to other species like the white-nosed coatimundi! The tour will feature natural histories of these species, the personal stories of each animal, and the importance of species conservation, including how YOU can help!

At IEAS, we take great pride in the standards of care we set for the animals, the maintenance of our facility, and our work to educate both IEAS interns and the public. Tours are big part of conservation education and gaining support for the amazing animals that call IEAS home. As such, we work hard on each and every tour to make your Sanctuary experience a great one!

Click HERE to read some testimonials from people who have been on tours at IEAS. They may just convince you to head out and visit us here in Boyd, TX! You can even WRITE a testimonial for us by clicking "Submit a Testimonial" if you have already been on a tour!

For more information about the tours, click HERE. Be sure to read our Tour FAQ by clicking HERE.

We hope to see each and every one of you out at the Sanctuary soon! 

What a Week!

The past few weeks have been busy at IEAS, to say the least. With the departure of the spring interns, arrival of the the summer ones, and the arrival of the newest Sanctuary resident, we've been on our feet with plenty to do!

The new residents of IEAS, cougar and intern alike, are doing great! Sapphire, or Saphy as she's being called, seems to be enjoying her new home here. She is a bit shy, understandably, and so we have been giving her plenty of time to herself to explore and relax in her habitat. She has found her cave and loves to lounge in there, and her appetite is wonderful, which is always good to see in a new arrival. The period of adjustment to new surroundings is different for every animal, and Saphy seems to be settling in relatively quickly. She's visited with a keepers when they come for a visit in the evenings and appears to enjoy the time spent with her new friends.

The new interns of IEAS are a few days into their training, and have been meeting the animals that call IEAS home. In the beginning of every internship, safety is the number one priority on the list of things to teach interns. Checking locks, locating cats, and double checking gates are procedures that the interns are sure to learn within days of arriving at IEAS! The interns seem eager to learn more, and the next few weeks of training should do the trick!

Keep an eye on our Facebook and website to stay updated on the progress of both Sapphire, the new cougar, and the new summer interns!