State-of-the-art habitat created for rescued big cats

Published on Monday, 20 October 2014 

Written by By JARAH WRIGHT, Special Correspondent
 

It’s a warm, sunny, East Texas day as 3-year-old Bengal tiger Alex strolls through the grass. He approaches the fence, wide-eyed, getting a good look at the small group of reporters who have gathered to see his new home at the Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch in Murchison.

The state-of-the-art habitat, which opened in late August, is 12,000 square feet with several dens and three yards that make up five acres of grounds for Alex and his fellow tigers: Natalia, Anastasia, and Gustavo. Ranch Director Ben Callison is an architect and said his team went through extensive preparations to make the perfect habitat feel like home.

“I reached out to people in the zoo world and the sanctuary world to find out what would be the best thing for our tigers. One of the places I went to was the San Diego Safari Park,” Callison said. “Then we brainstormed ideas. East Texas is a wonderful natural habitat because in India, they live in forests. So by giving them trees and room to run, they can exhibit their natural behavior which is what we wanted.”

In addition to the large spaces with woods for the tigers to explore, the habitats also include platforms that are up to 14 feet high for them to climb on as well as natural pools, waterfalls, and a deeper pool with ledges. Callison added that this was not only for the tiger’s wellbeing but also for their health.
“These pools and platforms help them with their muscle strength,” he said.

Rebuilding their strength is something several of the tigers have achieved after being rescued and brought to the ranch. One example is Alex. “Alex was rescued from a backyard in Atchison, Kansas. The sheriff got a call and was told there were some exotic abandoned animals in this guy’s backyard. The sheriff shows up to a dilapidated, very nonsecure enclosure and there’s Alex,” Callison said. “The sheriff had never been trained on what to do in that situation so he contacted the Humane Society of the United States and they got us involved because we are an affiliate of that organization.”

Callison said they sent food to Alex because they didn’t know when he had last eaten and worked to get a seizure order so they could move him to the ranch. He added that if Alex hadn’t been taken to the ranch, the results of him staying in his former home could have had disastrous consequences.
“Alex was owned by a private owner who disappeared but showed back up at the seizure because he was notified of what was going on,” Callison said. “Half a mile down the road from Alex was a children’s nursery where these kids were playing. If he had gotten out or escaped with his intact predator instincts, we only fear what could have potentially happened.”

With that in mind, the habitat was designed for caretakers to have protective contact with the tigers with a system of checks and balances in place to prevent accidents from happening. “One reason we made the fences around the habitat so tall is because tigers can jump and we didn’t want them escaping. We also have two layers of protective fencing that are double-locked,” Callison said. “In addition to that, our staff works in teams of two and they never enter the habitat when a tiger in inside. Also, all of our feedings are done in the main building.”

In addition to the four yards, there is a building which acts as a tiger care center. Inside, there is a small office, five or six dens which are essentially “tiger bedrooms”, as well as a food prep area. Director of Animal Care Noelle Almrud said in addition to making varied meals for the tigers, the staff plans enrichment activities for them. “We like the tigers to explore their entire habitat and have fun, so sometimes we’ll hide their food for them to find it,” Almrud said. “But our enrichment program is extensive. We have balls for them to play with and they really enjoy painting. We’ll leave nontoxic children’s paint with paper and they’ll put the paint on their noses and paws and rub it around on the paper. Then they’ll have fun cleaning themselves off in the pools.”

With the first phase of the big cat habitat complete, the ranch is looking to the future to help other big cats in three ways: state legislation, expanding the current habitat, and educating the public. “There are currently more tigers in Texas than in the wild due to lack of regulation with exotic pet owners,” said Katie Jarl, the Texas State Director for the Humane Society of the United States. “In 2001, the state declared that each county regulates exotic pets the way they want to. In some counties they are banned while others may allow them without having to register the pet. This next session, we are introducing a bill to regulate ownership of big cats in Texas because it’s not only an animal welfare concern but a public safety concern as well.”

The ranch is looking to expand the habitat with two more phases of construction. “We own all of the surrounding land and have laid out 40 acres to be used for the big cat facility,” Callison said. “When it is fully converted, we will have 30 dens and 18 yards. We’re hoping we’ll be able to help other species like lions, cougars, and bears as well.”

Education has been a main priority and the tigers give the ranch a new opportunity via their extensive network of cameras on-property. “Thanks to Paul Benson at Virtual Communications in Athens, we have an amazing set of about 15 cameras scattered throughout the property so we can keep an eye on the tigers without actually having to go into the habitat,” Callison said. “With this capability, we hosted our first Tiger cam event on YouTube which was a huge success. We answered questions and were able to engage with the tigers without putting any stress on them. We’re already starting to plan the next one.”

The ranch, which is normally closed to the public, sometimes opens its gates for open houses, where visitors can tour the facility to see what work the nonprofit is doing with other animals on-property including bison, monkeys, tortoises and horses as well as the horse adoption center.

For more information about the Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch, you can visit their website atwww.blackbeautyranch.org or their Facebook page. The ranch is currently fundraising for Phase Two of the Big Cat Habitat and also takes donations to help the other animals on the ranch.

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