Myrtle Beach Attractions

Good afternoon from T.I.G.E.R.S.!  I hope you are having a great Friday and will have a safe weekend.

Dr. Bhagavan Antle of T.I.G.E.R.S. Preserve in Myrtle Beach strives to save Cheetahs.  Dr. Antle and eight exotic animal trainers from T.I.G.E.R.S along with their veterinarian Dr. Sherri Duncan, decided to go and teach the staff of Savannah Cheetah Foundation  how to train cheetahs to our lure system and make a video and photo documentary of this amazing event. Some of the T.I.G.E.R.S. staff have over twenty years experience working as professional videographers and photographers and are continually working with endangered wildlife species.  It is our hope that the sight of a beautiful cheetah pelting across the grass up close and personal both live and on DVD would help inspire their visitors and those who view the video and pictures, towards a more ecologically friendly way of life.

The Foundation was created as a breeding facility for cheetahs, and also as a place for people of all kinds to come and learn about the plight of cheetahs in the wild. Most of the visitors to the preserve are local students, many of whom have been raised with the idea that cheetahs are nuisance animals that need to be eradicated in order to protect livestock. It is to these children of Africa that the message of conservation is most essential.

We came to film and train cheetahs in a place with no name that is a mere ninety minutes drive from the airport, but is as far removed from anything resembling a city as somewhere can be.

Visit one of the best Myrtle Beach attractions, T.I.G.E.R.S. and enjoy a Myrtle Beac Safari for yourself.  

The Rare Species Fund is currently developing a program to reimburse farmers for livestock lost to wild predators, including jaguars. This initiative ensures that the predators do not become a financial liability for the farmers and are therefore less likely to be illegally poached. The RSF rewards farmers in the program who set aside a minimum of twenty percent of the land to be kept in its natural wild state. This ensures that viable habitat will remain for the jaguar as well as other indigenous wildlife, including: tapirs, monkeys, toucans, sloths, caiman and spectacled bears.

Click here for more information on T.I.G.E.R.S. and the RSF.

Hello again from T.I.G.E.R.S. in Myrtle Beach!  Some say opposites attract but what about an orangutan being friends with a dog?  Is it even possible?  With Suryia and Roscoe it is!

When Suryia the orangutan first met Roscoe, a stray dog, they become best friends from the start.  The two became friends when they crossed paths at T.I.G.E.R.S. Preserve.  The blue tick hound was immediately spotted by the orangutan who ambled over to make friends.

Founder and Director, Doc Antle said: 'Roscoe looked really thin and a little lost so we fed him and took care of him; 'He followed us through the gate and ran over and found Suryia. As soon as he saw Roscoe, Suryia ran over to him and they started playing. It was unusual because dogs are usually scared of primates but they took to each other straight away. We made a few calls to see if he belonged to anyone and when no-one came forward, Roscoe ended up staying. Now they swim together, play together and Suryia even takes the dog for his walks.

Sounds amazing!  here's a news item from just this week about other animal friends."

From abcnews.go.com
At Noah’s Ark, a wild-animal rescue center in Georgia, the “BLT” are an unlikely trio that even “Oz’s” Dorothy would find hard to fear.

“It’s a lion, a tiger and a bear — oh my!” said Allison Hedgecoth of Noah’s Ark. “They live together and they don’t see their differences. They don’t see their color differences.”

In a small pen, Baloo (an American black bear), Leo (the lion) and Shere Kahn (a Bengal tiger) cuddle, play ball, chase each other around, eat cookies daily and seem to have forged a friendship for life.

“It’s kind of unusual because black bears and tigers would be solitary as adults,” said Rebecca Snyder, a curator of animals at Atlanta’s zoo.

The three predators were rescued as cubs 12 years ago from drug dealers who’d abused and neglected them.

“All of them had issues,” Hedgecoth said. “Leo, the lion, had a big raw spot on his nose. Baloo, the bear, had an ingrown harness where his owners hadn’t lengthened it as he grew, so it actually grew into the skin and it had to be surgically removed. … They have recovered more than 100 percent.”

But when trainers tried to separate the animals, they acted out. For years, trainers said they worried and waited for fights but had witnessed nothing but peace among the three.

Hedgecoth said she didn’t know how the trio had managed to get along together so well and for so long.
 

“I think that the ordeal they went through as youngsters really bonded them together,” she told ABC News. “That’s all that they had. They only had each other for comfort.”

She said separating them now, after more than a decade together, would be “cruel.”

“There definitely is something special going on between the three of them,” she said. “That is definitely a lesson.”

Guests also enjoy wondrous experiences which live on for a lifetime in the hundreds of individual and group high end professional photographs and video we take of them on this once in a lifetime journey. They leave Preservation Station with images that only a few privileged photographers and explorers on safari have captured after years of travel; a tiger or cheetah running at full speed or swimming across a clear pool, the great apes sliding through the canopy or a large tusked elephant just a breath away. You can tell from their pictures and the letters they send us how it has changed them. This experience happens every day.

 Please join in the worldwide education and conservation efforts at www.myrtlebeachsafari.com.

Good afternoon from T.I.G.E.R.S. in Myrtle Beach.  I hope you had a nice Easter Holiday and are enjoying Spring Break!!!  Are you looking for something "different" to do this weekend?  I urge you to visit T.I.G.E.R.S. Preservation at Barefoot Landing or take the T.I.G.E.R.S. Wild Encounters Tour, located south of Myrtle Beach.  

T.I.G.E.R.S. Preservation Station at Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach is a free living tiger exhibit. It is the fund raising effort for the rarest tiger on Earth, the Golden Tabby tiger. Here is your chance to see the World's Rarest Tigers, up-close and un-caged for FREE.

The Wild Encounters Tour is a guided walk through a fifty acre preserve, where you'll meet tigers, wolves, leopards, chimpanzees, orangutans, and other endangered species, many of them up-close and un-caged!

How much do you know about Tigers?

Pregnancy in the tiger:

Pregnancy in tigers is not obvious to the eye for the first two and half months, but in the last 10-12 days becomes detectable by the bulging abdominal area.

During the later part of pregnancy a wild tigress is particularly vulnerable to attack and starvation. Unlike the lioness, the tigress has no one to help hunt for food and evolution has helped overcome her vulnerabilities by making the duration of pregnancy brief.
Tiger gestation:

The gestation period for tigers is 100 days, but ranges from 93 to 111 days. After this time she will give birth to a litter of between 1 and 7 blind cubs, the norm being 2 to 4.

In two extreme cases 7 cubs were recorded as being born in captivity, while a tigress was sighted in the wild with 5 cubs, all of similar age; these may well be record births.


Preparation for birth:

Wild females give birth once every 2 to 2.5 years. The interval between births is approximately three to four years, though should a litter of newborns die, a tigress is quite capable of producing another litter within only five months.

The cubs will be born in an area of heavy cover; this may be a cave, long grass, thick bushes, an overhanging rock, or a hollow log. Anywhere that won't flood, provides protection, shelter and a good degree of concealment will suit the purpose.  - Source: www.lairweb.org
 

Whether it's this weekend or later on, I urge you to visit both of these Myrtle Beach Attractions.  All proceeds from Preservation Station and the TIGERS Tour go to The Rare Species Fund and The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species.  For more info, please visit www.myrtlebeachsafari.com.

Good day from T.I.G.E.R.S. in Myrtle Beach, SC!  Got plans for the weekend?  The weather will be spectacular and tomorrow is THE BIG DAY.  The greatest Myrtle Beach attraction opens for the 2013 season!

There are two ways to experience the greatest hands-on, interactive wildlife encounter in the world. You can visit T.I.G.E.R.S. Preservation Station, located at Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach for free! Or you can take the T.I.G.E.R.S. Wild Encounter Tour in Myrtle Beach.

Wild Encounters Tour is a guided walk through a fifty acre preserve in Myrtle Beach, just 17 miles South of Barefoot Landing, where you'll meet tigers, wolves, leopards, chimpanzees, orangutans, and other endangered species, many of them up-close and un-caged! During the tour professional photographers shoot studio quality photographs and video of the tour and the T.I.G.E.R.S. Preserve experience. This gives you the opportunity to take home a set of portraits and phenomenal videos that are incomparable to any other photo opportunity.

This is the best way for you to support our ongoing breeding and international conservation projects and get hands on with what we do.

By attending the tour you get one comlimentary 8X10 photo per group of your choice from your tour. However we highly recommend our Photo CD.  Our Photo CD is a professional CD portfolio of you and the animals on the tour. It has each person in your group individually with the animals, your group together with the animals, candid shots of your day and photos of the animals themselves. You end up with several hundred photos that you have the right to reproduce as long as it is not for commerial puposes like ads, billboards, movie and television.

Wild Encounter Tours
5 days a week from
March 16, 2013 through October 12, 2013
Tours are on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday,
beginning at 10:00am and lasting approx. 3 hours.

Click here to request a Wild Encounters Tour online
OR
call 843-361-4552

Come to see the White Tigers, a liger and other amazing animals in Myrtle Beach at one of the most exciting animal adventures ever.  All proceeds from the tour go to The Rare Species Fund and The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species.

Hi and good Friday afternoon from T.I.G.E.R.S. Preserve in South Carolina.  Dr. Bhagavan Antle has a Myrtle Beach Safari for you to visit in Myrtle Beach.  You can see up close and personal a variety of endangered Tigers Species as well as several other endangered wildlife species.  It is a one of a kind Myrtle Beach Attraction.

Like Dr. Antle and his staff, other projects give way to vision, missions, beliefs, and efforts to save individual animals, animal populations and habitats all over the world.  See below:

YARMOUTH PORT, Mass., Feb. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW- www.ifaw.org) announced today an emergency grant to rescue the last remaining 10 big cats from Riverglen Tiger Sanctuary near Mountainburg, Arkansas. The funds are being used to build temporary enclosures for the tigers at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge (TCWR), located 80 miles to the north.

Efforts to rescue the felines got underway in November of last year when the Crawford County sheriff contacted TCWR staff. The sheriff reported a total of 34 big cats including tigers, leopards and cougars housed in enclosures in such state of disrepair that it was described as a "ticking time bomb." The owner, a 72 year-old woman suffering from health complications, opted to surrender all of the animals.

"The housing conditions have deteriorated significantly and are now too insecure to contain big cats, especially tigers. It is as unsafe for the animals as it is for the public," said Kelly Donithan , IFAW Animal Rescue Officer. "We want to relocate the animals to TCWR as soon as possible so that they can be safely housed and receive the proper care they require."   

The three-month rescue operation will conclude at the end of the month when the tigers are safely crated and loaded into a rescue trailer for the trip up to Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge in Eureka Springs, AR.

"Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge is honored to have the help and support from IFAW," said Tanya Smith , TCWR President. "Together we are making a difference for each of the animals we are relocating."  

"Surprisingly, while some state regulations make big cat pet ownership difficult, keeping big cats as pets or for mere profit is generally legal in the United States," said Tracy Coppola , IFAW US Campaigns Officer.  "As a result, casualties and dangerous incidents continue to pile up."

"Adding to this problem is the fact that many unscrupulous exhibitors breed and keep baby tigers and other big cat species in order to be handled and photographed by paying customers," Coppola continued.  "After the animals grow too big, they are often sent to roadside zoos, kept in backyards, or even killed."

IFAW is working to pass the Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act, a bill that will soon get reintroduced this Congress to phase out private possession and breeding of big cats in the U.S. and require people who currently possess them to register those animals with the USDA.

Since 2003, IFAW has helped rescue more than 133 tigers, lions, and other big cats from unsanctioned shelters, closing sanctuaries and other poor and unsafe living conditions in the US.

Visit www.myrtlebeachsafari.com for more information about the Rare Species Fund, the tour and Tigers Preserve.  Come to see the ligers and other amazing animals in Myrtle Beach at one of the most exciting animal adventures ever.  All proceeds from the tour go to The Rare Species Fund and The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species.

Good Monday afternoon to all from T.I.G.E.R.S. Preserve in Myrtle Beach!   

If you've kept up with the local news this past week, you know that the theme for the 16th Annual BI-LO Myrtle Beach Marathon was "RUN WILD!"  This year some four-legged friends were added to the three day event through a partnership with the Rare Species Fund for International Wildlife Conservation. Funding for the group is derived from The Institute for Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (T.I.G.E.R.S.).  T.I.G.E.R.S. houses a stunning group of the world's most rare and endangered species, some of which were present at the HTC Runners' Expo and the Start Line.  

The idea to bring animals to this event was hatched by Marathon Committee members.  Organizers teamed up with T.I.G.E.R.S. founder and director, Dr. Bhagavan (D0c) Antle to bring an orangutan, a gibbon, baby tigers, and other exotic animals.  According to some sources, Bubbles, the African elephant stole the show.  

Bubbles, who served as the official guest race stater, lifted her huge trunk, and a trumpeted loudly to the runners off on their 13.1- or 26.2-mile races.  

The Rare Species Fund was established to provide funding to critical on the ground international wildlife conservation programs, thereby complimenting the educational messages and field research of T.I.G.E.R.S The Fund receives it financing base through a percentage of revenues taken in by T.I.G.E.R.S, the generosity of donations form exhibit guests, and the general public and now the Myrtle Beach Marathon..

The Rare Species Fund actively supports the African Association of Zoos and Aquaria (PAAZAB) in its efforts to improve African zoo collection management, captive animal husbandry, and public educational messages. On a Continent where millions of wildebeest make an annual migration of several hundred miles, covering a huge swath of two countries, accompanied by zebra and other plains game, as well as many rare and endangered predators, almost 99 per cent of all African youth will never see any of these animals in their natural habitat.

Through the RSF, the FCF (Feline Conservation Federation) is doing its part to help educate the citizens of this continent to appreciate the wealth of their wildlife diversity and the threats to its continued existence in Africa.

According to The Sun News, Race Director Shawn Walsh said he hopes to be able to bring the animals back for a future marathon.  “We’re definitely going to sit down and talk,” he said. “I’d like to be able to incorporate them again.”

Want to meet the apes and Bubbles the elephant for yourself?  You can at T.I.G.E.R.S. (The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species); this is a one of kind Myrtle Beach Attraction.  On this tour, you will also see amazing animals at one of the most exciting animal adventures ever.  All proceeds from the tour go to The Rare Species Fund and The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species.  For reservations, go to www.myrtlebeachsafari.com.
 

Good Friday afternoon from T.I.G.E.R.S. Preserve and Preservation Station in Myrtle Beach!  It's Marathon time!  The 16th Annual Myrtle Beach Marathon kicked off with the HTC Runners Expo last night.  

This year the Marathon is adding some four-legged friends to the recipient list through a partnership with the Rare Species Fund for International Wildlife Conservation. RSF is a non-profit grassroots organization established in 1982 to provide financial support and practical training to wildlife conservation initiatives. Funding for the group is derived from The Institute for Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (T.I.G.E.R.S.).

MYRTLE BEACH -- "The Bi-Lo Myrtle Beach Marathon has a theme for its 16th running on Feb. 16: Run Wild.

Marathon organizers have partnered with Dr. Bhagavan “Doc” Antle and The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species wildlife education organization that he oversees to include a number of animals in race activities and benefit the Rare Species Fund charity.

Trained animals from the T.I.G.E.R.S. wild animal nature preserve in the Socastee area are scheduled to make appearances at the race-affiliated runner’s expo, 5-kilometer race, Ripley’s Family Fun Run and the Dasani Half Marathon and Bi-Lo marathon races.

According to our source, “We’re going to see how well it’s received and how to incorporate it, and if it’s successful we’ll hope to build on that in future years,” Myrtle Beach Marathon president Shaun Walsh said.

If all goes as planned and weather permitting:

• The HTC Expo will feature a baby tiger habitat. Antle’s staff will be in attendance to talk about Tigers being endangered, what the institute is doing to try to protect them and how people can help. The expo will be held at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center from 5-9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 14 and from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Feb. 15.

• Orangutans will be present at the Ripley’s Fun Run at 5:30 p.m. and the 5k at 7 p.m. on Feb. 15, both at Broadway at the Beach.

•  Bubbles the elephant will be at the start of the marathon and half marathon on Grissom Parkway near 21st Ave. North at 6:30 a.m. on Feb. 16, and may be positioned in the middle traffic isle to have runners going past her on both sides. Orangutans and a tiger may be at the finish at TicketReturn.com Field, as well.

The marathon has been donating to Horry County Schools, the Red Cross and Leukemia Society in recent years, so it will add raising awareness for wildlife preservation and benefitting the Rare Species Fund to philanthropic purposes this year.

“Because of the travel involved, if we were anywhere else in the country he probably wouldn’t be able to do it for the amount we’ll be able to raise for him this year,” Walsh said.

Walsh said registration is on pace with the 2012 race, which set records with approximately 2,800 runners in the marathon, 4,500 runners in the half marathon and 1,100 participants in the 5k. The Fun Run had about 2,400 participants in 2012, which is the most since 2008.

Limits this year are 3,000 for the marathon, 5,000 for the half marathon and 1,500 for the 5k.

Post-race bicycle rides on Sunday, Feb. 17 will leave from the Waccamaw Shrine Club on Elm Street on the marina in downtown Conway. A 63-mile ride begins at 9 a.m., a 33.5-mile ride begins at 9:15 a.m., and a 14.2-mile ride begins at 9:30 a.m. Proceeds from the rides benefit Horry County Disabilities and Special Needs."
- By Alan Blondin - ablondin@thesunnews.com

Animal attraction T.I.G.E.R.S. and Preservation Station in Myrtle Beach are the best hands on animal experiences in the World. For more information visit www.myrtlebeachsafari.com.

Good Friday afternoon from T.I.G.E.R.S. in Myrtle Beach!  Did you know there are two attractions here where you can get up close with wild animals?   T.I.G.E.R.S Preserve and Preservation Station are wildlife exhibits and living tiger habitats. At both, you will find the chance to meet some of the world’s most amazing animals up-close and in-person while they play and relax in an outdoor environment. You will see 60 big cats, apes, tigers, grey wolves, a liger and Bubbles the Elephant.

I was talking today with someone who took the tour last summer and she told me her favorite part of the tour was the orangutans.  I had to agree since I was there as well.  It was so much fun to watch them  playing and laughing while we enjoyed a mid-afternoon tea party.

Make it a point to visit T.I.G.E.R.S., their season begins next month!

Did you hear this?

The Baltimore Ravens have an ape in their corner for Super Bowl XLVII, which is nice.

An orangutan at a Utah zoo has predicted the winning Super Bowl team each of the past five years. The ape, named Eli, is picking the Baltimore Ravens this time around.

Eli made his pick by knocking down a papier mache goal post decorated with the Ravens logo. He ignored the 49ers post.

Eli's pick of the Ravens is consistent with the prognostication of Princess the camel. But Boone the black rhino, named after 49ers offensive lineman Alex Boone, is going with San Francisco.

Hogle Zoo spokeswoman Erica Hansen said Eli has hesitated in years past, but charged toward the Ravens side this year. He then joined his mate and daughter in chowing down on the edible posts.

At least he's confident.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Want to meet the apes and Bubbles the elephant for yourself?  You can at T.I.G.E.R.S. (The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species); this is a one of kind Myrtle Beach Attraction.  On this tour, you will also see amazing animals at one of the most exciting animal adventures ever.  All proceeds from the tour go to The Rare Species Fund and The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species.  For reservations, go to www.myrtlebeachsafari.com.
 
 

Good afternoon and good Friday to all from T.I.G.E.R.S. in Myrtle Beach!

A few weeks ago I posted about elephants that are being driven to extinction in large parts of Africa, amid the seizure of a large shipment of poached ivory in Malaysia.  Sadly, this week carcasses of a family of elephants have been found killed in Kenya:


By Rohit Kachroo, Correspondent, NBC News

TSAVO EAST NATIONAL PARK, Kenya -- The bodies of five elephants lie under the shade of the trees – their giant ears flapping in the wind, but their majestic bodies totally still.

It is a gruesome sight in this, one of Kenya’s oldest, largest and most stunningly beautiful national parks.

As our helicopter circles the scene, we glimpse two other elephants nearby: A mother lying dead next to a baby calf - her daughter. The bodies of another three siblings sit in the baking heat. Other corpses are slumped across several acres of parkland.

In total, there are 12 slain elephants – a family, murdered on Saturday in Kenya’s bloodiest attack by poachers on record.
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The spot is so remote – inaccessible by road vehicles – that it was only possible for us to reach them by the air. And yet, the poachers are thought to have trekked for days – maybe weeks – through the dense bushes with the intention of killing the family for their horns. It is, perhaps, an indication of the poachers’ determination, and the sophistication of their planning.

Armed with guns and axes, the 15-strong gang struck during the day. They shot the animals one by one before sawing off their tusks. Park rangers chased their footprints for 10 miles into the bush, but the trail vanished. Investigators believe that they may have dumped the tusks in the park to collect later, before splitting up and disappearing into the woods.

Wilson Korir, who leads the military-style defense force tasked with protecting the park from poachers, said: “These guys [the gang of poachers] are now looking for some crude transport like the use of a donkey to be able to transfer the tusks to the nearest center where they can ferry it using a vehicle.”

 “We have a lot of covert operations going on outside. We have positioned a platoon of rangers outside there just to wait and see. If they appear they will pounce and arrest.”

Accompanied by rangers, we leave our helicopter and walk towards the spot where some of the bodies lie. We are all struck by the stench of the corpses, as flies swarm and maggots eat away at them. The face of each of the animals is badly severed – it is clear where the poachers’ axes have struck.

From the position of the elephants, investigators suspect that there was a stampede as the animals tried -- and failed -- to race away.

It is grim evidence of a growing problem for Kenya. According to the country’s Prime Minister Raila Odinga, 360 elephants were killed in Kenya last year – almost one a day – up from 289 in 2011.

Demand comes from the growing middle class in China, where ground tusk is said to have medicinal value, and ivory is still desirable in jewelry and home decorations. A pound of illegal ivory can fetch around $1,000.

“The dynamics of poaching are taking a different angle altogether because there is a lot of demand for ivory from outside,” Korir said.

“But in the history of Tsavo National Park this is the worst.”

He welcomes promises of greater investment in wildlife security, and calls by world leaders for a global campaign against trafficking. But his priority now is to find the poachers behind Saturday’s attack.

“The message is clear. They come (back) into the national park at their own peril. The rangers are there and waiting for them. They come and they will be eliminated.

“These are dangerous gangs. They carry firearms. There are no two ways about it – fire for fire. So let them come. We are equally prepared. We are waiting.”

Bhagavan “Doc” Antle created the attraction, T.I.G.E.R.S. to provide enriched habitats for many species of endangered animals.  All proceeds from the TIGERS Tour and Preservation Station in Myrtle Beach go to The Rare Species Fund and The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species.

Good chilly Thursday from T.I.G.E.R.S. in Myrtle Beach!  For those of you who wished for chilly weather, you got your wish!  Winter months are perfect for making plans for the warmer weather to come.  If you live here or are planning a visit, you should definitely plan to visit T.I.G.E.R.S.

T.I.G.E.R.S.,(The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species) is a wildlife education organization, dedicated to promoting global conservation with informative, educational and entertaining interactive programs.  All of the animals can be seen up close and uncaged in close personal contact with their trainers.  When you take the tour, you are helping endangered and exotic animals everywhere.  

Please enjoy this article I read this morning:

Conservationists say elephants are being driven to extinction in large parts of Africa, amid the seizure of a large shipment of poached ivory in Malaysia.

ELEPHANTS are being driven to extinction in large parts of Africa, conservationists said yesterday after the discovery of what is thought to be the largest shipment of poached ivory in Malaysia.

Seizure of 1500 tusks hidden in shipping containers destined for Asian buyers highlighted the scale of the trade that is destabilising African nations by helping to fund rebel movements, they said.

The shipment originated in Togo, a popular smuggling outlet for armed gangs who control the illegal ivory trade.

"I fear that elephants may disappear entirely from those parts of Africa least able to protect them from the onslaught," said Virginia McKenna, the actress and founder of the Born Free Foundation.

Richard Thomas, of the wildlife-trade monitoring group Traffic, said that although elephant populations in southern Africa were well protected, and therefore growing, those in other parts of the continent were under serious threat.

"The majority of poached animals are in Central Africa, and that is down to poor governance," Mr Thomas said.

The region's dwindling population of forest elephants are prized by poachers for their finer, straighter tusks and pinkish ivory.

A report submitted to the UN yesterday by the WWF warned that the illegal ivory trade threatened Africa's governments as rebel groups used the sale of tusks to fund their wars.

"This is about much more than wildlife. This crisis is threatening the very stability of governments. It has become a profound threat to national security," said Jim Leape, director-general of WWF International.

In this week's seizure the Malaysian authorities estimate that 20 tonnes of ivory were hidden in secret chambers in 10 containers supposedly carrying wooden floor tiles.

The shipment travelled from Togo via Spain and was destined for China until customs officials at Port Kelang made the discovery.

This single haul is almost equivalent to the total amount of ivory seized last year, the worst year on record.

Despite a ban on ivory since 1989 demand has continued to soar, primarily in China and Thailand.

A recent investigation by National Geographic magazine revealed another growing market in the Philippines, where ivory is carved into icons venerated by its Catholic population.

In June the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species described the plight of Africa's elephants as "critical" and said that elephant poaching had reached its highest level for a decade, with tens of thousands of animals killed for their tusks each year.

By: Tristan McConnell
From: The Times

Bhagavan “Doc” Antle designed the Myrtle Beach attraction to provide enriched habitats for the resident felines that enable the keepers, trainers and employees of T.I.G.E.R.S. to perform routine feeding and cleaning chores and facility maintenance safely and effectively. Public safety is also addressed, since the facility is open for educational tours and filming.

Make a difference! Do something good today! Join us, Support FCF, and Endangered Wildlife Species.  Contact us today and see how you can become a part of the oldest, premiere private Feline Conservation Organization in the world!

Good afternoon and good Friday to all from T.I.G.E.R.S. in Myrtle Beach!  Do you love animals?  Did you know there are two attractions here where you can get up close with wild animals?   T.I.G.E.R.S Preserve and Preservation Station are wildlife exhibits and living tiger habitats. At both, you will find the chance to meet some of the world’s most amazing animals up-close and in-person while they play and relax in an outdoor environment. You will see Bengal tigers, Siberian tigers, Royal White Bengal tigers and of course, the Golden Tabby tiger, presented by a loving and dedicated staff. 

Enjoy this interesting article I found on one lucky White Tiger:

By Keith Reid
kreid@recordnet.com
Record Staff Writer
December 05, 2012 12:00 AM

LODI - Bob Ringo cringed while peering through a window into the surgery room at Lodi's Arbor Pet Clinic on Tuesday, watching as his 16-year-old white tiger Twix underwent a tail amputation.

Ringo, 62, raised Twix since birth at his Cave Junction, Ore., Tiger Preservation Center. He was heartbroken on Thanksgiving when another tiger clawed and bit Twix's tail, leaving major gashes in the appendage. After being injured, the 300-pound cat would not leave the injury alone, and tried to lick it until it healed. The tail became infected.

"I can't bear to watch it," Ringo said. "I'd be in there if it was something else. But, this ... this is hard to watch."

Twix is said to be a "sweetheart" that enjoys human interaction. She suffered a back injury four years ago that made her slow enough to put her in a position where she could not avoid the Thanksgiving day tail injury.

The Tuesday surgery was performed by Dr. Richard Turner at his Lodi office. Turner has become known as one of the top big cat veterinarians in the northwest. Ringo said Oregon veterinarians don't have the expertise or desire to work on large cats.

So, Ringo and a friend put Twix in the back of a minivan and drove 400 miles for the surgery. The 3-foot long tail has a diameter of about four inches at the base. Turner worked to cauterize the veins and safely remove the tail of the sedated tiger. The tail would be sent for cremation.

Turner's staff performed a dental cleaning at the same time.

"Dr. Turner and Dr. Lindsay Phillips are the best," Ringo said. Phillips is a former University of California, Davis veterinarian that assisted Turner on Tuesday's surgery.

Ringo's Tiger Preservation Center is a non-profit rescue. There are 12 tigers, two lions, and a leopard living at the shelter, Ringo said.

Turner said he's proud to be able to perform surgeries and dental work on tigers and other large cats because most species are either endangered or close to being endangered. He said white tigers are under siege in other parts of the world, and lion bones are used for aphrodisiacs, which leads to poaching.

White tigers are Bengal tigers. Their color comes from a recessive gene that makes their fur white with black stripes instead of orange with black stripes. They are rare, but can be found in India.

"We got everything taken care of, and I don't think there's going to be any swelling. She's all ready for recovery and heading back home," Turner said.

Come and cuddle up and get hands-on with a variety of animals while they sit on your lap.  Visit Preservation Station or T.I.G.E.R.S. the 50-acre preserve in Myrtle Beach, home to over 60 big cats. Monkey around with our apes, watch tigers swim and meet our grey wolves. Fly trained falcons, get the feel for our “cubs” and you may even get to meet Bubbles the Elephant. This is the only place in the world where you get to meet the Liger, the world’s largest cat as seen in the 2006 Guiness Book of World Records!

All proceeds from the TIGERS Tour and Preservation Station in Myrtle Beach go to The Rare Species Fund and The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species.

Hi and good Friday afternoon from TIGERS Preserve in South Carolina.  Dr. Bhagavan Antle has an attraction for you to visit in Myrtle Beach.  You can see up close and personal a variety of endangered Tiger Species as well as several other endangered wildlife species.  It is a one of a kind Animal Preserve in Myrtle Beach.

I read a story yesterday that really gave me a good feeling.  Many who lost their homes to Sandy don’t want to give up their pets, but they have nowhere to keep them.  In response, the ASPCA opened a 20,000 square-foot emergency boarding facility for hundreds of animals displaced by Superstorm Sandy.

The shelter is  located in Brooklyn and the service is offered to those who need a place to house their animals until they can get back on their feet.  It will also provide shelter for pets of those in evacuation centers.

This effort is greatly aided by a $500,000 grant from generous animal lover Rachael Ray, as well as the donations of our compassionate supporters.

One source said, “We will continue our disaster relief work to help animal victims in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, and hope that the emergency boarding facility will allow pet parents to focus on rebuilding their lives,” says ASPCA Field Investigations and Response Senior Director Tim Rickey. “It will take time, but we will work as a community, and the ASPCA will continue to provide ongoing assistance, personnel and resources as long as we’re needed.”

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All proceeds from the TIGERS tour and Preservation Station in Myrtle Beach go to The Rare Species Fund and The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species.

Come to see tigers and other amazing animals at one of the most exciting animal adventures ever.  

Visit www.myrtlebeachsafari.com for more information about the Rare Species Fund, the tour and Tigers Preserve.

Hi From Myrtle Beach!  I've posted many times about Nature Conservationists and their efforts to rescue endangered animals. A perfect place for these creatures is an animal sanctuary.  Unlike animal shelters, sanctuaries do not seek to place animals with individuals or groups, instead maintaining each animal until his or her natural death.

Please enjoy the following recent article:

KENDALL COUNTY, Texas -- "Wild and exotic animals at an area animal sanctuary that have been rescued from trafficking and inhumane treatments are getting some much needed help from television legend Bob Barker.

A woman running the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation facility reached out to Barker for help and what came after that may surprise you.

The animal sanctuary has been saving thousands of mammals, birds and reptiles since 1977. It's a 187 acre facility located near Kendalia in Kendall County. Because the sanctuary commits to taking care of the animals for life, their founder Lynn Cuny said they have a lot of expenses.

That’s why Lynn decided to reach out to well known animal lover Bob Barker for help.

She said, “This sanctuary here is very unique in that these animals have, like these monkeys and these lemurs have space in which to live that is very natural”.

Lynn has rescued many exotic creatures from the underground pet trade world.

“We also rescue them from road side zoos”.

Many times these types of animals are victimized when taken out of their natural habitat and sold as pets. But Lynn says they are not pets. They’re wild animals that require special care which can be costly.

“Like every non-profit organization there's always times when you, when things are tight financially tight and we're not immune to that either,” said Lynn.

That’s why she reached out to Bob Barker's foundation known for donating to such causes.
Initially she asked for $5,000 to buy an avian ventilator. Then she was surprised to get a call from Barker himself.

“He said that we probably could use a little bit extra money. And I said always, so he said I’m going to give you $250,000”.

The Wildlife Rescue facility operates on a $2 million budget a year so this will be a big step for next year to feed and care for the animals.

If you'd like to donate or simply find out more information about Kendall County-based Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation, visit their website www.wildlife-rescue.org."
-Reported by: Laurie Salazar

There is a 50-acre Animal Sanctuary Attraction just minutes from Myrtle Beach.  T.I.G.E.R.S. Preserve hosts tigers, wolves, leopards, chimpanzees, orangutans, and other endangered species and even a liger (a cross between a lion and a tiger, and it weighs over 900 lbs!).  

When you take the tour, you are not only witnessing an amazing animal show, you are helping out with support, research and conservation projects for Endangered wildlife species and the rare species fund.  For additional information, visit www.myrtlebeachsafari.com.

Good afternoon from T.I.G.E.R.S. in Myrtle Beach!  The temperatures have dropped considerably and it's beginning to feel like fall!  The staff at T.I.G.E.R.S. is very busy at the moment.  They along with some other are attractions are hosting an incredible event at the end of this month.  Read below:

MYRTLE BEACH -- When Myrtle Beach photographer August Michel heard about an English couple traveling the world and having weddings in each country they visit in search of the best place to get married, he knew he wanted to get them to the Grand Strand.

Two months later Michel has gotten the couple, Alex Pelling and Lisa Gant of Yorkshire, England, to agree to participate in a whirlwind five wedding ceremonies in five days at various locations throughout the area. The couple has been chronicling their experience on their blog and Michel said ABC’s “20/20” will be in Myrtle Beach to produce a news story on Pelling and Gant.

“I thought about all of the beautiful places to get married between Wilmington and Charleston,” said Michel, owner of August T. Photography. “I told them I wanted to do something extravagant and they responded and absolutely loved the idea.”

And so the Myrtle Beach Wedding Extravaganza was born. Between Nov. 24 and 28, Michel and an army of about 50 local vendors will host five wedding ceremonies for Pelling and Gant at locations such as Litchfield Plantation and the TIGERS Preservation Station.

How much is this once in a lifetime trip and the many extravagant weddings costing the couple? Not a dime.

All of the venues, DJs, florists, dress makers, bakeries and even a local winery are donating their time and products for free.

The local marathon of theme weddings includes a Southern charm ceremony at Litchfield Plantation; skydiving and jet skiing in a James Bond ceremony on the beach; a Candy Land ceremony at the Pavilion Nostalgia Park at Broadway at the Beach; elephant riding at TIGERS Preservation Station; and a celebrity ceremony with Legends in Concert performers and a “world-record setting wedding reception flash mob” back at Broadway. The first four weddings are going to be more private, but everyone is welcome to attend the fifth ceremony at Broadway at the Beach on Nov. 28.

Michel is most excited about the flash mob at that fifth ceremony, with choreography coordinated by Coastal Carolina University cheerleaders. They plan to put a video on YouTube so that anyone can learn the dance and join them at 5 p.m. Nov. 28.

The choreography “is not going to be complicated. If everybody knows the date, time and location, they’ll be able to participate,” Michel said.

The cheerleaders also will hold two practice sessions in the week leading up the wedding. Information about the practices will be shared on the event’s Facebook page.

Those interested should meet plan to arrive around 4 p.m. and meet by the Christmas tree to the right of WonderWorks next to the visitor’s center.

“It’s going to be so much fun,” Benson said.

T.I.G.E.R.S. was founded by Dr. Bhagavan Antle. He is one of the World’s foremost trainers of big cats and other exotic animals.  Some of these animals are the rare and on the list of endangered species; Golden Tabby Tigers, Siberian & Bengal, Tigers, Panthers, Leopards, Royal White Tigers, Lions and Jaguars.

So if you live here or you're just visiting, go see the amazing animal exhibit located in Myrtle Beach.   T.I.G.E.R.S. Preservation Station is a wildlife exhibit and living tiger museum with all proceeds benefiting the rarest tiger in the world, the Golden Tabby tiger. It is located near Myrtle Beach.  For information, please visit, www.myrtlebeachsafari.com.

Good day from T.I.G.E.R.S. in Myrtle Beach!  A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about Tigers for Tomorrow on Untamed Mountain, the 140-acre piece of property in Attalla, Alabama.  T.I.G.E.R.S. founder and Director, Dr. Bhagavan "Doc" Antle, chairman of the accreditation board, visited the preserve.

Check out another preserve featured in the following article from http://www.felineconservation.org:

Patty Perry founded Wildlife and Environmental Conservation, Inc. (WEC) after years of practicing raptor rehabilitation at the Ojai Raptor Center, which treats over 1,500 native birds annually.

The WEC facility relocated from Ojai, to Moorpark, California in 2009. In addition to the many species of owls, hawks, eagle and falcons, are exotic felines. Conservation education of school age children is the major focus of WEC and Patty presents programs to schools and churches, and also does community outreach and private programs.

For Accreditation Board member Ron Young, one of the focal points of the WEC application was how much room was provided the tigers. Ron says, “I have worked at six different zoos and Patty provided her tigers more room than Busch Gardens in Florida does for their tigers.”

The WEC facility consists of 12 lovely acres and the entire property is fenced using 8-foot tall chain link, with additional security provided by surveillance cameras throughout. WEC’s serval and Siberian lynx share a 22-foot wide by 72-foot long enclosure. Inside this spacious habitat are lemon trees for shade, and an elevated platform with cathouse built on top. The ground is covered with chain link and five inches of sand lay on top. The cats’ feeding area is sheltered under a 10-foot by 20-foot solid roof.

For the tigers, a pair of 20-foot by 30-foot retreat enclosures connects to a 10,000 square foot communal exercise habitat. The retreats are 9-guage-chain link, 14-feet tall, and completely covered with solid aluminum roofing over steel purloins. Concrete feeding slabs and automatic waterers are provided. Above the large exercise habitat are mister systems and fly spray systems. The tigers have their own platform and cat condos. A pair of metal 10-foot water troughs gives the tigers access to water for soaking and play.

The Feline Conservation Federation facility accreditation board carefully reviews applicants to ensure that the facility is providing excellent care for felines. FCF exhibitors provide great experiences for the public and help shape a better future for felines living in nature. FCF educational exhibitors are important partners that help shape public policy and support for habitat protection in nature and in captivity. FCF Executive Director Lynn Culver says, “This is increasingly important because so many feline species are facing a real threat of extinction if we do not act to reverse population declines.”"

Myrtle Beach attraction, T.I.G.E.R.S. (The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species) and the R.S.F. (Rare Species Fund) are based in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  For more information, please visit www.myrtlebeachsafari.com.

Hello and good afternoon from T.I.G.E.R.S. in Myrtle Beach.  Most people do not realize that we are in the midst of a mass wildlife extinction that is affecting every living thing on this planet. We are losing up to a dozen species of plant and animal every day. This rate is far faster than when the dinosaurs died out 65 million years ago. A stunningly beautiful animal like a tiger captures people's attention so they become more willing to learn about critical conservation issues. Tigers are an important living example of the environmental problems facing the world, which makes them the perfect wildlife ambassadors. Wild tigers are currently on the brink of extinction. Due to rampant habitat destruction and poaching we may be losing a tiger a day.

I found this inspiring story today and I hope you enjoy it:

Created on Thursday, 25 October 2012 21:41
Written by IVN

Escondido, California - The San Diego Zoo Safari Park is roaring with excitement as one final donation for the construction of a new 5-acre Sumatran tiger habitat helped the nonprofit organization reach a fund-raising goal set by a matching contribution. A donor originally pledged $9 million toward Tiger Trail if the Safari Park could raise an additional $2 million by the end of the year.

Tiger Trail is the Park's largest project fully funded by philanthropy. It is the second largest for San Diego Zoo Global, behind The Harry and Grace Steele Elephant Odyssey, which opened at the San Diego Zoo in 2009.

"We are tremendously grateful to everyone who has contributed to Tiger Trail, from the tiger keeper who put a $20 bill in my hand when we announced the match donation to the donor who made the $9 million pledge," said Mark Stuart, San Diego Zoo Global chief development officer. "Despite the great recession, individuals who love tigers and who want to ensure that these big cats are around for many years to come, supported this project to the best of their abilities."

The $9 million pledge, the Park's largest single donation, was announced May 18. The final contribution that reached the $2 million challenge was received on Oct. 19. Thanks to more than 5,000 donors, the Safari Park raised $19.6 million for Tiger Trail, a forested habitat that will offer up-close views of these fascinating felines and highlight conservation efforts for the species.

The habitat will include three separate tiger exhibits with rocks for climbing, ponds for swimming, deadwood trees to use as scratching posts, and long grasses for catnaps. Tiger Trail will also have a birthing den with an outdoor yard. Ground breaking is expected to occur later this year with completion of the habitat in 2014. Hornbills, a family of birds characterized by a long, down-curved bill, will also find a new home here.

The Safari Park is currently home to five Sumatran tigers. There are fewer than 350 Sumatran tigers in the wild, and that number continues to drop. Scientists estimate that this species could be extinct in its native Sumatra by 2020 unless drastic measures are taken to protect and preserve it.

Tigers face many challenges in the wild, from loss of habitat to human-tiger conflict, but the biggest threat continues to be poaching. Tigers are killed by poachers, who illegally sell tiger body parts, mostly for folk remedies. People can help protect wild tigers by making smart consumer decisions to avoid products that harm tiger habitat and refusing to purchase items made from endangered wildlife.

The San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy is dedicated to bringing endangered species back from the brink of extinction. The work of the Conservancy includes onsite wildlife conservation efforts (representing both plants and animals) at the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, and international field programs in more than 35 countries. In addition, San Diego Zoo Global manages the Anne and Kenneth Griffin Reptile Conservation Center, the Frozen ZooTM, Native Seed Gene Bank, the Keauhou and Maui Hawaii Endangered Bird Conservation Centers, the San Clemente Loggerhead Shrike Breeding Facility, the Cocha Cashu Biological Research Station, the Desert Tortoise Conservation Center, and a 800-acre biodiversity reserve adjacent to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. The important conservation and science work of these entities is supported in part by The Foundation of the Zoological Society of San Diego.

Help us save these beautiful animals by joining T.I.G.E.R.S. (The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species) adopt an animal program and help make a difference. For more information on Myrtle Beach attraction, T.I.G.E.R.S. Preserve, Dr. Bhagavan Antle, or the Rare Species Fund, visit www.myrtlebeachsafari.com.
 

Good day from T.I.G.E.R.S. in Myrtle Beach.  As you probably know, T.I.G.E.R.S. was created as a wildlife education organization, dedicated to promoting global conservation with informative, educational, and entertaining interactive programs. Director Bhagavan (Doc) Antle works closely with international wildlife conservation projects in South America, Africa and Thailand. In addition to providing much needed funds for these programs, the personnel have been involved in field research as well.

Doc is a conservationist who trains the animals to become “animal ambassadors.” Doc and his team of highly skilled animal trainers spend just about every waking hour working with these magnificent beasts. As animal ambassadors, their role is to make an emotional connection with whom they come in contact. Hopefully, they will impact members of the public enough to encourage them to help fight species extinction.  

Doc’s animals have starred in many movies, including Ace Ventura Pet Detective and Dr. Doolittle, but his main focus is raising money for the Rare Species Fund (RSF), which provides conservation programs for such places as The Samutprakarn Wildlife Preserve in Thailand and the Raptor Research Project in South Africa. All proceeds from the tour go toward the RSF.

The tigers, lions, panthers, wolves, apes and elephants are well protected, loved, and fed, cared for and adored. No animal poachers or rainforest-destroying palm oil companies could kill or displace them as long as they are here.

One source explains:

"One of the Sumatran orangutan’s richest habitats, an area of swampland containing the highest density of the red apes on the planet, is being illegally slashed and burned by palm oil companies to make way for palm oil plantations.

“If we can't stop them here, then there really is no hope,” said Ian Singleton as we stood on the edge of what had once been pristine forest, home to hundreds of orangutans, but now reduced to a charred wilderness as far as the eye could see. As he spoke we could hear the distant sound of a chain saw.

Singleton runs the Sumatra Orangutan Conservation Programme, an organization at the forefront of a battle to save what remains of the forest and the apes.

There are fewer than 7,000 of the critically endangered Sumatran orangutans left in the wild, according to a 2008 survey completed by Singleton and other scientists. The largest number live in a vast area of swampland and lowland forest close to the northern tip of the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

“Orangutan paradise,” Singleton calls the area – but it’s a paradise under threat.

Land cleared, drained and burned in the Tripa Peat Swamp Forest.

The key battleground for Singleton is the Tripa Peat Swamp Forest, much of which has already been converted to palm oil plantations. The relentless march of the palm oil business is the biggest threat facing the orangutans.

A cheap, edible oil, palm oil is found in almost half of all packaged supermarket products, from instant noodles, to cookies to ice cream, and Indonesia is the world's biggest supplier.

“Look, look,” said Singleton, handing me a pair of field glasses. In the distance a large male orangutan moved gracefully across the canopy of trees.

Before leaving Sumatra, Singleton took me to an area where his refugees are being re-located. He told me that for him nothing can quite match the satisfaction of seeing the often bruised and terrified animals that turn up at his rescue center back in the wild."  Ian Williams, NBC News

Animal attraction T.I.G.E.R.S. tour in Myrtle Beach is the best hands on animal experience in the World. For more information visit www.myrtlebeachsafari.com.

Hello again from T.I.G.E.R.S. Myrtle Beach!  You all know that T.I.G.E.R.S. is a rare, up-close look at big cats, other exotic animals led by Director, Dr. Bhagavan "Doc" Antle.  Doc Antle's great love for wild and exotic animals began and from a very young age and he continues in his efforts.  Please read the article below:

Washington, D. C. (PRWEB) September 14, 2012

"Tigers for Tomorrow on Untamed Mountain meets the high standards of feline care and facility management that are hallmarks of the Feline Conservation Federation facility accreditation. Doc Antle, chairman of the accreditation board, visited the preserve and was so impressed he donated to it a trio of his very rare tiger cubs. Visitors can now view a golden tabby, a royal white and a standard orange Bengal tiger playing together in their roomy new habitat on the mountain preserve. The accreditation committee reviewed the extensive written application and approved Tigers for Tomorrow for FCF accreditation.

Tigers for Tomorrow on Untamed Mountain is a 140-acre piece of property in Attalla, Alabama, nestled in the Appalachian Mountains. In the six years since the facility moved from Florida to Untamed Mountain, the animal population has grown to 87 predators consisting of 30 tigers, eight lions, 13 cougars, 19 wolves, two serval, a Canada lynx and a Siberian lynx, two leopard, one bobcat, four black bears and one grizzly bear. Presently a 10-foot perimeter fence suitable to hold predators encloses 18 acres. If more animals come to the mountain preserve, Sue says the perimeter fences will need to be expanded.

To run the facility, Sue Steffens and her husband Wilbur McCauley work full time, along with four other full time keepers, a couple of interns, ten volunteers in a core group and about ten more who help with functions and special projects. Tigers for Tomorrow is open all year, every Friday through Sunday, 9 am to 5 pm, with additional hours during spring break and summer. The preserve also hosts private tours, environmental education tours, home school groups, and the occasional wedding or birthday party. There is even an environmental education outreach component to Tigers for Tomorrow and a “legacy living classroom” that houses species such as snakes and possums to teach about native wildlife.

Tigers for Tomorrow enclosures are built using nine-gauge chain link, even for the smaller cats. The smallest cat enclosure is 1000 sq feet; the largest is 7500 sq feet, and the wolf pack runs inside an acre enclosure. Tigers for Tomorrow is licensed as an exhibitor by both USDA and Alabama state wildlife department.

A new book written by Sue and animal communicator Debbie McGillivray titled, "Untamed Voices" has just been released. It contains animal stories from the preserve. Sue says, I hope the book will bring greater awareness of the thoughts and feelings of animals at the preserve.”

The Feline Conservation Federation facility accreditation board carefully reviews applicants to ensure that the facility is providing excellent care for felines. FCF exhibitors provide great experiences for the public and help shape a better future for felines living in nature. FCF educational exhibitors are important partners that help shape public policy and support for habitat protection in nature and in captivity. FCF Executive Director Lynn Culver says, “This is increasingly important because so many feline species are facing a real threat of extinction if we do not act to reverse population declines.”"

Myrtle Beach attraction, T.I.G.E.R.S. (The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species) and the R.S.F. (Rare Species Fund) are based in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  For more information, please visit www.myrtlebeachsafari.com.

Good Friday afternoon from T.I.G.E.R.S. in Myrtle Beach!  The staff and animals, dedicated to ongoing international conservation projects are currently winding down the season at the T.I.G.E.R.S. 50 acre Preserve and Preservation Station.

In response to the pressing environmental stresses that threaten the survival of all felines in nature, another organization, the Feline Conservation Federation is dedicated to responsible captive management of wild feline genetics.

Feline Conservation Federation (FCF) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that consists of wild feline managers, educators, conservationists, researchers, and all those who support the mission of feline conservation.

For more than fifty years FCF has supported conservation efforts worldwide through the leadership of our members who specialize in captive feline husbandry.

FCF certifies instructors that in turn teach Basic Wild Feline Husbandry Courses around the country setting the standards for feline handler safety and feline management.

FCF also accredits feline holding facilities to insure that they operate within our higher standards of management and facility design while continuing to provide quality care and enrichment above all other zoological institutions.

FCF awards grants funding backbone field research and protection of wild habitats. One of our many advisors is Dr. Jim Sanderson, Ph.D. who sits on the FCF Conservation/Research Grant Committee.

FCF raises funds for its Wildcat Safety Net program that provides emergency care and transport of felines in need.

Membership is open to any non-domestic keepers, handlers and owners as well as those interested in them and the conservation of all 37 species. We invite you to Join us.

Members receive the national award-winning bimonthly Journal. This publication is packed full of husbandry articles, member’s accounts of their feline experiences and updates on FCF supported in-situ and ex-situ conservation efforts.
 

Bhagavan “Doc” Antle designed the Myrtle Beach attraction to provide enriched habitats for the resident felines that enable the keepers, trainers and employees of T.I.G.E.R.S. to perform routine feeding and cleaning chores and facility maintenance safely and effectively. Public safety is also addressed, since the facility is open for educational tours and filming.

Make a difference! Do something good today! Join us, Support FCF, and Endangered Wildlife Species.  Contact us today and see how you can become a part of the oldest, premiere private Feline Conservation Organization in the world!

Hello again from T.I.G.E.R.S. in Myrtle Beach.  Most of us have seen and heard of exotic animals in literature, video games, television and comic books.  Tigers, ligers, apes, and the like are magnificent creatures that possess an amazing combination of wonder and beauty.  Please enjoy the following article from The Boston Globe.

CARVER — You have to go to the very edge of “Carvershire” to see them. You have to walk past the wise-cracking guy with the penciled-on mustache cracking his whip, past the booths selling turkey legs and yards of beer. Not over by the fire-breathing human blockhead, the other way, next to the jousting fields. That's where you'll find them, just as you have for the past 30 years, the world's biggest cats — one a 900-pounder stretching out his body and drinking milk out of a baby bottle.

So after you’re done shopping for a sword, you can go see some of the rarest animals in the world, Dr. Bhagavan Antle brings the cats up from his 50-acre preserve in Myrtle Beach, S.C. He comes for an annual eight-week visit to King Richard’s Faire, the Renaissance fair that has operated every fall in Carver for more than 30 years. This year’s menagerie includes a baby chimp and a baby puma and Hercules the liger — the offspring of a male lion and female tiger, the biggest of the big cats.

On a visit during the week before the fair opened, sounds from a rehearsal floated from the King’s Stage — this year’s musical is “The Stolen Crown Affair” — past the rows of wooden benches in front of the Tiger Stage.

Antle, resembling Penn Jillette in solid build and radio-ready voice, shares the magician’s understanding that the audience is the absolute engine. Antle’s message is all passion and education: If the tigers’ environment crumbles, ours is next.

“Saving these animals is paramount to saving the world,’’ said Antle. “You’ve got to help take care of them.”

There’s not much of a “show” in the big cat show Antle presents at King Richard’s. There are no circus tricks, no flaming hoops or bicycle rides. While assistant Robert Johnson serves as host, Antle and trainers China York and Chris Heiden walk the animals out onstage and lead them up onto a table so the crowd can see and take pictures. Johnson’s talk includes a few well-worn jokes and a lot of information about the history and future of tigers.

The education comes between the oohing and aahing and camera clicks, with plenty of plugs for the importance of conservation, and how that requires cash.

Vali the year-old chimp and Santi the baby puma come out, as does a royal white tiger and a golden tabby. The bigger cats wear heavy chain collars. As gentle as they appear and as comfortable as they seem onstage, the animals still have all of their claws and teeth and are very powerful. The trainers let Johnson do the talking while they are ever mindful. - John Vitt

Animal attraction T.I.G.E.R.S. tour in Myrtle Beach is the best hands on animal experience in the World. For more information visit www.myrtlebeachsafari.com.