Christmas Isn't Over Yet!

That's right! It's still Christmas here at IEAS as we collect as many leftover Christmas trees as we can! Many of you have seen what the residents here at IEAS love to do with the leftover pines, and we're eager and excited for this year's round of Christmas tree handouts!

In the next few weeks, IEAS staff will be providing these Christmas trees as enrichment for feline, bear and coati residents of the Sanctuary. If their reactions are anything like last year's, we are all in for some excellent entertainment. The biggest cats love to pounce, throw, and destroy these prickly toys, while the smaller cats tend to see these trees as a big, delicious smelling brush that they can rub all over! The bears, on the other hand, prefer to use these piney limbs as bedding in their caves. It's a great something extra to keep them super warm and cozy!

So, once your ornaments come down, your tree can make someone else's (someone furry) Christmas complete! Bring your tree to IEAS and let the holiday spirit keep on coming! 

Call 940-433-5091 or send us a message on our Facebook for 

information on tree pick up (we'll come get it if you live nearby). 

We look forward to seeing you (or your tree!) here at IEAS!

Christmas with the Animals!

Here at IEAS, we are often asked about how we spend Christmas. Most people have the day off from work or school, and have few obligations other than visiting certain family members or cooking tons of food. Christmas is a little different for us here at IEAS. We don't get a day off, but rest assured, we have absolutely no problem with that.

The longer we work here at IEAS, the more these animals become a part of our family, and what better way is there to spend a holiday than surrounded by cherished loved ones, human or animal! With the understanding that these animals need, want, and deserve our attention and care 365 days a year, we more than happily get up before the sun on Christmas morning to prepare diets, provide fresh water, and wish our furry friends a "Merry Christmas," ensuring that they know how much we love them! Don't worry, we do still get to take part in all of the traditional holiday activities. Though they can't join us, we're sure to have our own holiday feast and gift exchange once we know that every member of our family is happy, healthy, full, and safe!

More than anything, the holidays are about appreciating the blessings we have, right? And in that case, spending the day surrounded by 61 furry blessings might just be the PERFECT way to spend Christmas. 

We wish you all a safe and happy time this holiday season.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays 

from the International Exotic Animal Sanctuary! 

Meet the New Interns!

They're two weeks in to their internship here at IEAS, and we want to introduce them to you - the Winter 2012 Intern Group! 

Chris, Scott, Jessie
Sam, Lexi, Laurel

These six new interns are starting to settle into the routines here at IEAS and are definitely immersed in lots and lots of new information every day! We've got a lot to teach them in the next few months, so we have them working hard! So far, the interns have been learning the habitat and house cleaning routines for each of the three sections of the Sanctuary. They've also been going on tours and familiarizing themselves with the information and routes. Soon enough, they'll be leading their own tours! 

Now that they've met the animals, Chris, Scott, Jessie, Sam, Lexi, and Laurel have begun to take part in the Sanctuary's Emotional Enrichment Program instituted by our Animal Behaviorist, Louis Dorfman. This is always a favorite internship feature for interns, as it allows them to form a strong, personal bond with an animal, while simultaneously making that animals life better, happier, and more comfortable. They've each selected two animals to begin the program with, and with dedication, patience, and trust, they'll end up with a lifelong furry friend! 

We'll keep you updated on the progress of these eager new interns as their time at IEAS progresses. They've got lots of learning to do and will soon be taking part in intern courses, such as Grant and Proposal Writing, Laws and Regulations, and Firearms Safety Training! Stay tuned! 

Remember, you can always sponsor an intern! Find out what that means here. 

First Big Freeze!

We've had our first big freeze of the season, with night time lows in the twenties and most of the past few days under 50 degrees. Brrr is an understatement! It's hard to believe that it can be 20 degrees AND 80 degrees in the same week.

The animals don't mind the cold nearly as much as we do. Well, most of them don't. While the tigers have been up and about, feeling even more frisky than usual, Mork and Mindy, whose species is native the more equatorial regions, have been spending lots of time in their heated cave, cuddling together in blankets and hay. The IEAS lions have been taking advantage of the sun, laying in the warmest spots, sunning themselves and absorbing lots of heat!

The cold does tend to make Sanctuary work more difficult, but we'd been keeping an eye on the cold front, and we were very prepared for what the drop in temperature meant. Frozen hoses and frozen waters were two of the biggest "bumps in the road" that we faced this morning, but after breaking waters and allowing the sun the do some thawing work for us, we were able to give every resident animal fresh water!

Needless to say, the freeze is a great learning experience for our new interns. When working in the animal care field, you have to realize that no matter the weather, the animals have needs every single day, and here at IEAS, their needs and their safety are always number one priorities! The new interns have seen that today, as we bundled up and ventured out to take care of these amazing animals! 

New (Human) Faces at IEAS!

Well, it's that time again. Another three months have come and gone, and IEAS is all set to welcome six new interns to the Sanctuary family! Between today and tomorrow, Samantha, Chris, Jessica, Lexi, Laurel, and Scott will arrive at the International Exotic Animal Sanctuary to begin their internships.

An internship at IEAS, as past interns have said, is "not for the faint of heart." We challenge our interns to perform at the absolute highest quality because we know just how much they are capable of! An internship here at the Sanctuary is not easy to obtain, as for each session we have approximately 100 applicants for just a few positions. The chosen interns are the best of the best, and we push them to learn as much as we can possibly teach them in the three short months they are here.

We always say that this internship will help interns decide very quickly whether or not they've chosen the right career path, as almost immediately upon arrival, they dive head first into the world of animal care. They get dirty, work long hours, and take in tons of information! We've found that sometimes, past interns say it best:

"They will work you hard, expect the best from you, and help you succeed in whatever your future endeavors may be."

"This internship was as rewarding as it was demanding. It was through this opportunity that I learned a great life lesson, which was the more you put into something, the more you get out of it."

"The staff at IEAS will push you to your limits, farther than you ever thought you could be pushed, but every one of them genuinely wants to see you succeed and become a better keeper and person by the end of it."

Check out more from our past interns here!

We're eager and excited for this next session, 

and happily welcome the new arrivals to IEAS!