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!

Tigers Update!

Many times when new cats arrive at IEAS, it does not take long for them to figure out the feeding and cleaning routine. The two newest tiger residents are no exception! They quickly figured out where each one was going to eat their breakfast and are now catching on to the cleaning routine. We like to clean inside each habitat at least three times per week. This morning, the female tiger was happily rolling around in the grass while we were cleaning in one side of their habitat. The male watched us patiently from his house. When we were through with the first half, the female came right over when we raised the gate to eat her food. The male came out of his house so that we were able to feed him and then clean the other half of their habitat.

We are so happy that these two amazing animals are settling in so nicely to their new home. The female has been spending more and more time exploring outside during the day, just watching us while we are working around the facitlity. The male was hanging out on top of his cave yesterday evening, just watching the world go by!

Remember, there are only a few more days left to participate in the Cougar Naming Contest! Be sure to submit your name by the end of March for a chance to win!

Pool Time!

I don't think any of us can complain about the weather this past week. I know the animals of IEAS are sure having some fun. The bears are enjoying their pond and water tubs, especially the cubs. Visitors beware as the area around their water tubs becomes a splash zone! They have so much fun rough housing in them. The grizzlies are in their pool at least once a day...if not all day! And if you are anywhere near their pool while they are playing...you will get wet!

Our tigers, of course, are having a blast in their pools. Even the older tigers still enjoy splashing around every now and then. Our two new resident tigers wasted no time cooling off in their pool. They both love to cool off during the early morning hours and late evening hours. They tend to want their privacy while they are enjoying a relaxing dip. The male tiger had just gotten out of his pool when one of the keepers came over for a visit. He came right over to the fence and greeted her with a chuff. So we are happy to see these two tigers and the cougars warming up to not only their human caregivers, but their animal neighbors as well.

If you would like to see a good show, now is the time to visit these wonderful animals. The weather couldn't be more perfect, and the animals are ready to make a splash!

UPDATE: Cougars Are Exploring!

Well, the cougars getting much more adventurous! Both the male and female cougar have perches that are built about fifteen feet off the ground and in the past few days, the two cats have wandered up to explore. The male laid down right away, enjoying the view and shade from the trees above. The female also spends a great deal of time up there and is visibly more comfortable from that vantage point. She seems to be the type who likes to have a sharp eye on everything going on around her. We are very happy that they are enjoying these perches and really making use of all of the space provided to them.

They, like the tigers, are adjusting very well and becoming more and more trusting of their caretakers all the time! They are both already getting the hang of our daily feeding, pick up, and house cleaning routines. The male recognized immediately that the gators we drive are what brings his meal and now gets very excited whenever a gator passes! The female pops out of her house as soon as we get there in the morning, ready for us to lower the gate and put her food in.

Stay updated on their progress here on our Blog and on our Facebook!

UPDATE: New Cats Showing Us Some Affection!

First off, we've been getting some really great, creative name submissions for our Cougar Naming Contest! There is a little less than two weeks left and we can already see we are going to have our work cut out for us deciding on one name for each of cougars!

So, keep the names coming! Soon enough these two cats will each have an Adoptive Parent and it could be YOU!

Well, all four of our most recently rescued cats have really been coming around to us! The two tigers spend their days tucked in their house and cave but in the evenings, are more than happy to come over for a visit, especially the female! She will get a bit nervous as someone approaches but as soon as she recognizes who it is and we talk to her a bit, she comes right over and chuffs at us! Chuffing is a tigers way of purring, like a friendly greeting they use to say hi! The male is a bit more cautious but when he sees that his female companion trusts us, he comes over and says hello as well!

We're very excited that they are becoming more trusting of us and more comfortable in their habitat. The male has been spotted, soaking wet, after going in his pool. He left muddy footprints all the way back to his perch! We have even seen signs that they have been playing with their giant pickle toy! The pickle moved from their perch, to the ground, to the lower perch, to the highest perch over the course of a few nights. This is a great sign that they are enjoying the behavioral enrichment we provided!

The cougars are doing great as well!

More news on them to come soon!

Cougar Naming Contest!

The two new cougars at IEAS have settled in and now comes another exciting step in their lives – they need names! We want YOUR help to decide on what the names of these incredible animals should be!

HOW TO SUBMIT A NAME: If you would like to submit a possible name for one of the cougars, go to our Facebook page (make sure you “Like” us or you won’t be able to post your submission!) and write the name of your choice on our wall. This is for both the male AND female cougar so be sure to distinguish between the two!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/International-Exotic-Animal-Sanctuary/169603019738879

RULES:

You must be AT LEAST 7 years old to submit a name (because you must be 7 years old to visit the Sanctuary and as such, younger children would be ineligible for the prize).

Each individual may only submit ONE name for each cougar. This means you can submit one female and one male name.

On April 1, Sanctuary staff will choose names and announce the winners!

WHAT IF YOU WIN? If your name wins, you will be notified (via Facebook) and will automatically become the Adoptive Parent of the cougar you helped name for six months! Being an Adoptive Parent will allow you to receive an 8x10 photograph of the animal, an adoption certificate, and most importantly, the opportunity to visit the Sanctuary and the animal you have now adopted. This will allow you to come sit by the habitat of your animal and get to know them! For more information about adopting an animal, visit the website below:

http://www.bigcat.org/howtohelp/pages/adopt-an-animal/

Be sure to submit your choices for names by March 31!

Get creative, be original, and think about the amazing animal whose life YOU can become a part of!

UPDATE: The New Residents are Settling in Very Well!

It's been a few days since the two tigers and two cougars arrived at IEAS from Houston. Now that things have calmed down here, the four cats have had a chance to explore their habitats, find some favorite spots to lay, and see what their new life is going to be like!

The male cougar has found his way out of his house several times in the past few days. He has been seen laying in the grass in the sun and up above his cave on his hill. He even came out to greet one of the interns who was refilling his water trough. He walked all the way over to say hi and see what she was doing. He seems to be a very friendly and mellow cougar and has caught the attention of his neighbor, Billy, a caracal. Billy has been staring at the cougar, watching his every move!

The female cougar has been a bit less outgoing, but definitely seems to be getting more and more comfortable. She has been walking around her habitat exploring. She has spent a good amount of time in her cave and it seems she may be very much like her neighbor, N'dito, in that she's always on watching everyone around her! Allie and Rasul, the female cougar's other neighbors, have been visiting her every so often.

The two tigers have found their favorite spots to lay so far. The male has a spot in the shade that he seems to enjoy laying in while the female has picked a cave in their habitat as the perfect place to lay. This is where they spend most of their time during the day but in the evenings, they are all very eager to explore. The tigers have been jumping onto their perches and smelling every corner of their habitat. The male has been catching lots of good scents and exhibiting the Flehmen response very often! It's a good sign that he is trying to familiarize himself with his surroundings and taking in everything he can!

All in all, each of the four cats has had a great appetite and is slowly catching on to our morning feeding routine. We are eager and exciting for them to fully adjust and are just as excited to keep you updated on their progress! We will have more pictures and videos to come; we want to be sure the new additions are settled and comfortable before we take too many!

If you have any questions about the new additions or ANY of the residents of IEAS, feel free to leave a comment or post it to our Facebook. We love to share anything and everything about our Sanctuary!

Thank you all for your support!

Be sure to stay updated on the four newest lives changed by IEAS!

Our New Residents Have Arrived!

Well, it was a busy, exciting, and energy filled day yesterday here at IEAS and two new cougars and two new tigers are now safely here at their new home! Personnel from the Houston Zoo and Houston SPCA were here to help and we were sure to document the entire day!

When the Houston SPCA truck arrived with the four big cats, everyone was anxious to get them situated. We started with the female cougar, unloading her transport cage into a trailer to take her to her new habitat. She was nervous and eager to be out of the cage so as soon as the door opened, she ran into the grass and found a perfect, comfortable hiding place for a cougar - a cave! She stayed there, unsure of her new surroundings, until most of the onlookers were gone. Eventually, she explored her habitat and found her way into her cozy, new hay filled house.

Next to be unloaded was the male cougar. He was nervous, but calm. Just like his female companion, he was eager to be out of his transport cave and unsure of his new surroundings. As soon as his cage was situated and everyone was ready, his gate was opened and he slowly walked out into his habitat. He looked around quite a bit at his pool and new perches as he walked into his hay filled house. The houses proved to be a place where these two cougars felt safe and comfortable during their first few minutes at home.

Finally, it was time to get the two tigers into their shared habitat. They were both certainly happy to be finished with the long travel in their transfer cages and eager to have space and time to acclimate to their new habitat. After finding each other, they definitely became more at ease and found their own places to lay. The male has found a spot near the pool to lay while the female has picked a more hidden spot in a cave. We do know that they are enjoying the rest of their habitat, as they've been spotted laying on their perches and exploring the area!

It was an exciting day overall and we are so happy and pleased that we have the opportunity to change the lives of these four incredible animals. You can be a part of this change just by supporting the Sanctuary and our efforts. Spread the word and make a difference for all of the residents of IEAS!

We will have more videos and pictures to come!

We want to be sure to allow the cats plenty of time to adjust and settle!

Click below to watch a video of the arrival of these magnificent new additions!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GagNKU93mdE

Thanks to everyone who has supported us and

to the Houston SPCA and Houston Zoo!

Four New Additions to IEAS!

We have some exciting news from IEAS - we are expecting four new additions to our Sanctuary!

On Tuesday, March 8, two Bengal tigers (a male and a female) and two cougars (a male and a female) will be brought to IEAS from Coryell County TX. These animals were rescued by the Houston SPCA and Coryell County Sheriff's Office, from a facility housing over 300 animals (including more than 200 Rottweilers, 39 horses, 18 domestic cats, birds and other exotics), all forced to live in extremely poor conditions.

One of the Bengal tigers set to come to IEAS!

Patricia Mercer, President of the Houston SPCA, says:

"We are pleased to have secured placement for all four of the big cats at the International Exotic Animal Sanctuary, the first AZA certified sanctuary in the United States. These once neglected and abused animals will soon journey to Boyd, Texas to live out the rest of their lives in a beautiful and peaceful habitat."

All of us at IEAS are very excited at the opportunity to provide these magnificent animals with a secure, comfortable, and happy place to live the rest of their lives. We will do everything we can to make sure each of their lives takes a significant turn for the best. We have habitats ready for them, with lots of toys and enrichment, pools, and perches to rest on.

Above is one section of a three section habitat for

the two Bengal tigers who are to arrive on Tuesday!

If you'd like to support the Sanctuary and our four new residents, expected to arrive next week, please visit our Donate page. You can truly help us make a difference in the lives of these two tigers and two cougars.

http://www.bigcat.org/donate/pages/donate

Be sure to stay updated on their progress!

We will be putting plenty of updates on our

Blog, Facebook, Twitter, and website,

so be sure to keep visiting them all

to find out when the four cats arrive

and how they settle in!

The Grizzlies Make A Splash!

It was a crazy morning for the Grizzly bears of IEAS -

full of swimming, wrestling, running, and playing!

Today was the first day since the bears went into hibernation that they went onto the pool side of their habitat. Because they had all tucked away to sleep on the opposite side of the habitat, we took the opportunity to go in, do some work, plant some grass, and fix their pool. Ever since the bears woke up a few days ago, they have been itching to run over and dig into the fresh grass and swim in their newly filled pool. Today, they got the chance to do just that! We finally finished the work we needed to do, filled the pool, and let the Grizzlies over onto their pool side.

They all had an absolute BLAST! Wendy ran straight for the pool; she rolled and splashed all over while her brothers first investigated the taste of the new, fresh, thick grass! Once eating got boring, they took their turns in the pools, wrestling, and jumping all over their perches. They were all ecstatic to be back in the water with fresh grass to run and play in!

It was truly a sight to see these incredible bears having so much fun!

It certainly made the work we did on this side of their habitat completely worth it!

Be sure to come and visit the Grizzlies of IEAS!

They are always happy to see friendly faces!