By BERNIE ABRAMS
Upon a mere eight acres here stands a highly developed conscience. It is shared by
Cheryl and Mike Tuller, who several years ago were duped by a breeder into believing a
Bobcat kitten would grow into an ideal house cat.
The breeder lied.
Though born into captivity and raised with affection, that Bobcat developed basic
antagonistic behavior patterns; even so, it probably couldn’t survive in the wild.
The Tullers built an outdoor enclosure to provide a safe, comfortable environment for
their pseudo-pet. Meanwhile they began to learn of other wildcats that people bought only
to warehouse them in garages and basements, or return them to breeders who then had
them defanged and declawed, depriving them of their only defenses before reselling the
feral felines.
Other people might recoil on hearing the horror stories involved with wildcats taken from
their habitats, and then bemoan some other tales of abuse. The Tullers didn’t.
Wanting to make a difference, they founded WildCat Haven here on this patch of
Sherwood’s forest, becoming true 21st century Robin Hoods of the wild.
The haven is a sanctuary run entirely by the Tullers and a small band of dedicated
volunteers. There is no buying, selling, trading or breeding of the wildcats brought under
their care, Leslie Birrenkott, the haven’s development director, informs The Animal
Companion.
by private owners.
Birrenkott notes that typical instances of this abuse or neglect are a wild cougar found
living in a mechanic’s garage in Kennewick, Wash., and a Canadian Lynx taken from a
home in Oregon.
Named for the place where he was rescued on Memorial Day, the cougar Kennewick
was found with broken canine teeth, a broken, bleeding tail, tick infestation and
malnutrition. Now, he is eating regularly and is on antibiotics. As he gains weight and
trust, he will have his broken teeth extracted and will receive a full examination to
determine his other health needs. Kennewick is also starting to trust the haven’s
volunteers, the look of fear in his eyes beginning to be replaced by one of comfort.
While not abused in the word’s usual definition, Sir , a Canadian Lynx, had been fed a
diet of vegetables and pasta in his previous home. As a result, he arrived at the haven
severely malnourished and was diagnosed as having metabolic bone disease. After
much nurturing, love and a proper diet, Sir is “now doing very well,” Birrenkott says.
The diet for all of the haven’s felines comes to about 100 pounds of meat a day, along
with appropriate vitamins and whatever supplements they may need. All of the food,
costs of new enclosures and other expenses are donated by sponsors and other people
who care about the wildcats. As a 501c3 nonprofit organization, WildCat Haven uses all
of the contributions for the care of its wards; there are no paid employees.
Getting and keeping volunteers isn’t easy, Birrenkott discloses. “We look for people who
are truly committed to our cause,” she says, “and (who) don’t want to volunteer just so
they can tell their friends they touched a cougar.”
Similarly for the safety of the animals and people, the only visitors to the sanctuary are
animal sponsors, who are given private tours. The Tullers and their volunteers, in
addition to caring for the cats, see the other part of their job as educating the public to the
evils of trying to domesticate wildcats.
Without much prompting, they will describe how wildcat kittens are taken from their
mothers between three and ten days of age, while their eyes are still closed. Of how they
are made domestic cats, unable to look after themselves as they would in their intended
habitats. And of how their lives speed downhill after that.
With an eye toward moving to a much larger property in the next few years, the folks who
run the sanctuary draw no ceiling on the number of wildcats they would rescue. Billing
WildCat Haven as the only sanctuary in the Pacific Northwest that focuses on rescuing
only the smaller breeds of wildcats, they look forward to a time when some members of
the general public can be brought safely into the sanctuary to see what is being done.
But without disturbing the cats.
First published Jan. 21, 2005 in The Animal Companion.
Upon a mere eight acres here stands a highly developed conscience. It is shared by
Cheryl and Mike Tuller, who several years ago were duped by a breeder into believing a
Bobcat kitten would grow into an ideal house cat.
The breeder lied.
Though born into captivity and raised with affection, that Bobcat developed basic
antagonistic behavior patterns; even so, it probably couldn’t survive in the wild.
The Tullers built an outdoor enclosure to provide a safe, comfortable environment for
their pseudo-pet. Meanwhile they began to learn of other wildcats that people bought only
to warehouse them in garages and basements, or return them to breeders who then had
them defanged and declawed, depriving them of their only defenses before reselling the
feral felines.
Other people might recoil on hearing the horror stories involved with wildcats taken from
their habitats, and then bemoan some other tales of abuse. The Tullers didn’t.
Wanting to make a difference, they founded WildCat Haven here on this patch of
Sherwood’s forest, becoming true 21st century Robin Hoods of the wild.
The haven is a sanctuary run entirely by the Tullers and a small band of dedicated
volunteers. There is no buying, selling, trading or breeding of the wildcats brought under
their care, Leslie Birrenkott, the haven’s development director, informs The Animal
Companion.
by private owners.
Birrenkott notes that typical instances of this abuse or neglect are a wild cougar found
living in a mechanic’s garage in Kennewick, Wash., and a Canadian Lynx taken from a
home in Oregon.
Named for the place where he was rescued on Memorial Day, the cougar Kennewick
was found with broken canine teeth, a broken, bleeding tail, tick infestation and
malnutrition. Now, he is eating regularly and is on antibiotics. As he gains weight and
trust, he will have his broken teeth extracted and will receive a full examination to
determine his other health needs. Kennewick is also starting to trust the haven’s
volunteers, the look of fear in his eyes beginning to be replaced by one of comfort.
While not abused in the word’s usual definition, Sir , a Canadian Lynx, had been fed a
diet of vegetables and pasta in his previous home. As a result, he arrived at the haven
severely malnourished and was diagnosed as having metabolic bone disease. After
much nurturing, love and a proper diet, Sir is “now doing very well,” Birrenkott says.
The diet for all of the haven’s felines comes to about 100 pounds of meat a day, along
with appropriate vitamins and whatever supplements they may need. All of the food,
costs of new enclosures and other expenses are donated by sponsors and other people
who care about the wildcats. As a 501c3 nonprofit organization, WildCat Haven uses all
of the contributions for the care of its wards; there are no paid employees.
Getting and keeping volunteers isn’t easy, Birrenkott discloses. “We look for people who
are truly committed to our cause,” she says, “and (who) don’t want to volunteer just so
they can tell their friends they touched a cougar.”
Similarly for the safety of the animals and people, the only visitors to the sanctuary are
animal sponsors, who are given private tours. The Tullers and their volunteers, in
addition to caring for the cats, see the other part of their job as educating the public to the
evils of trying to domesticate wildcats.
Without much prompting, they will describe how wildcat kittens are taken from their
mothers between three and ten days of age, while their eyes are still closed. Of how they
are made domestic cats, unable to look after themselves as they would in their intended
habitats. And of how their lives speed downhill after that.
With an eye toward moving to a much larger property in the next few years, the folks who
run the sanctuary draw no ceiling on the number of wildcats they would rescue. Billing
WildCat Haven as the only sanctuary in the Pacific Northwest that focuses on rescuing
only the smaller breeds of wildcats, they look forward to a time when some members of
the general public can be brought safely into the sanctuary to see what is being done.
But without disturbing the cats.
First published Jan. 21, 2005 in The Animal Companion.
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To see photos of the Servals, Lynx, Cougars and Bobcats in residence at WildCat Haven, visit www.wildcathaven.org. |
Those volunteers are caring for 42 wildcats,
divided among eight species, primarily the Cougar,
Bobcat, Lynx and Serval. No cats larger than a
Cougar, which weighs between 100 and 125
pounds, are accepted. All who live at the shelter in
their own roomy enclosures are captive-born
wildcats who have been abandoned, abused or
neglected
divided among eight species, primarily the Cougar,
Bobcat, Lynx and Serval. No cats larger than a
Cougar, which weighs between 100 and 125
pounds, are accepted. All who live at the shelter in
their own roomy enclosures are captive-born
wildcats who have been abandoned, abused or
neglected
