Tessa Stripes is our newest animal keeper here at Carolina Tiger Rescue. She studied wildlife biology at Virginia Tech. Before coming to Carolina Tiger Rescue, she interned at Wildlife Safari. Her favorite animals to work with are tigers! She enjoys giving the animals at Carolina Tiger Rescue a safe and appropriate home for them. It’s a hard and dirty job, but she loves it! Her favorite time of year at the rescue is the fall, when all the animals get pumpkins for enrichment!

Keeper Tessa’s Blog 10/9/2021

The cooler fall weather is here and that means a few changes for the animals living at the sanctuary. The other keepers and I have been busy removing summer pools from tiger enclosures and preparing animal enclosures for fall and winter. One of the first things we do when the weather starts getting cooler is to add comfy straw beds to animal den boxes. The straw acts as an insulator and a makes a warm comfy place for the animals to escape the cold. We add and change out the straw throughout the fall and winter season to make sure all the animals stay warm and dry all season long.

Some of our animals need a little more assistance to stay warm throughout the cooler months of the year. Many of our small cats have heat mats in their den boxes, in addition to straw, to help them stay warm in their enclosure throughout winter. The kinkajous are not equipped to withstand a North Carolina winter and they have been moved to indoor housing for the season. These temperature-controlled buildings allow us to create an ideal environment for these animals during the fall and winter weather. Whatever the season, keepers are always working hard to ensure the needs of all the animals at the sanctuary are met.