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 11/25/19
I’m excited to tell you all that we will be welcoming seven servals into the family tomorrow! This rescue began several months ago when we were contacted by authorities in Canada after they shut down a backyard breeder.
Servals are tall African cats with sharp claws and teeth. They can jump up to 12 feet in the air and can strike with their paw faster than you can blink. Unfortunately, many people do not see the dangers of owning a serval and want to buy them as pets. Here’s where the breeders come in. As long as there are people willing to buy wild cats, there will be people willing to breed and sell them. Many of these breeders care more about the money they can make than they care about the animals’ health. Sadly, this is where our rescued servals’ story begins.
The British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or the BC SPCA, saved thirteen servals from terrible conditions at a backyard breeding facility. Most of these cats were kept in RV trailers without access to water or fresh air. Their litter boxes were overflowing and the windows were covered, blocking sunlight from coming in. People looking to buy these animals were unaware of the problem because the breeder had a nice website that did not reveal the true living conditions.
Of the thirteen cats, six went to two other sanctuaries that share our values and seven came to call Carolina Tiger Rescue their forever home. We are so grateful for the BC SPCA for getting these wild cats out of a bad situation and into proper care. I will update you all on their arrival as soon as I can!